“Origami Bank has folded. Sumo Bank has gone belly up. Bonsai Bank plans to cut back branches…” is the start of a popular list of Japanese bank puns. The joke list has been cited in print since at least 1998.
         
   
1 May 1998, The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), “May the fest at the pub prove a winner” by Ian Black, pg. 23:
The Japanese banking crisis is one over which we refuse to wring a wither, as if you walk with tigers you shouldn’t complain if you get a wee bit chewed, but we did pay attention to the following. It would appear that the Origami Bank has folded, and the Sumo Bank has gone belly-up. The Bonsai Bank’s growth has been stunted and now it will have to have some of its branches cut back. Meanwhile, the Karaoke Bank is up for sale and is (wait for it) going for a song, while shares in the Kamikaze Bank have nosedived, and the directors of the Bank of Nippon have nipped off. Five hundred at the Karate Bank got the chop, and there is something distinctly fishy going on at the Sushi Bank. Staff there fear a raw deal. The only rising sun ray of light in all this is news of a new bank rising from the ashes, Hiroshima Savings, with its slogan: “We’ve survived worse.” Thanks to correspondent Mike Browne for most of the above. More welcome, but geisha break with the puns, and not a word about the charges at the Bank of Banzai.
     
Google Groups: uwo.comp.helpdesk
OZ Friday Humor
Dennis Lapcewich
7/9/98
One of Australia’s leading economic and banking advisors has just returned from a 30-day fact-finding trip to Japan, and his report is not good.  The Asian economic meltdown is now severely biting into the Japanese economy and although Europe and the USA will suffer an “economic shudder” as a result, Australia may fair poorly, since the Japanese are one of Australia’s major trading partners, especially for raw materials.
 
The most frightening economic news is the collapse of seven of Japan’s leading banks ...

The Origami Bank has folded.
The Sumo Bank has gone belly up.
The Bonsai Bank is cutting branches.
The Kareoke (sp)  Bank is on its last dance.
The Kamikaze Bank has nose-dived.
The Sushi Bank is on ice with no fresh capital.
And the new Viagra Bank, is meeting still competition and it’s too small
to fill the economic void.
 
13 July 1998, Barron’s (New York, NY), “Up & down Wall Street: Get the picture?” by Alan Abelson, pg. 4:
“Origami Bank has folded…. We are hearing reports that Sumo Bank has gone belly up, and Bonsai Bank’s growth has been stunted and it plans to cut back some branches.
 
”. . . Karaoke Bank is up for sale and is rumored to be going for a song . . shares of Kamikaze Bank have nosedived .. . 500 back-office staff at Karate Bank got the chop.”
 
As if this list of casualties wasn’t disturbing enough, the paper also reported that “something fishy is going on at Sushi Banks, and staff there fear they may get a raw deal. And worst of all, even Miso Bank is in the soup.”
 
Newspapers.com
26 March 2001, Sydney (New South Wales) Morning Herald, The Guide, pg. 4, col. 7:
“The Japanese financial crisis shows no signs of letting up. Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank plans to cut back its branches. Karaoke Bank is going for a song. Meanwhile, shares in Kamikaze Bank have nosedived and 500 back-office staff at Karate Bank got the chop. There’s something fishy going on at Sushi Bank and staff fear they might get a raw deal.”
 
Twitter
Mark Harrison
@MarkHarrisonUK
And as the Banking crisis spreads to Japan, the origami bank has folded
7:03 AM · Jan 27, 2008·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Patrick Smith
@psmith
The credit crunch hits Japan: Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and 500 employees at Karate Bank have been given the chop
11:07 AM · Jul 18, 2008·Twitter Web Client
 
Australian Broker   
Far out Friday: Jokes for mortgage brokers
by Mackenzie McCarty 04 Jan 2013
(...)
3. Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.
 
In the last seven days, Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.
 
Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song.
 
Today, shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.
 
Samurai Bank are soldiering on following sharp cutbacks.
 
Ninja Bank are reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black.
 
Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.
 
Facebook
Sheryl Underwood
November 8, 2013 ·
Pun time: Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank plans to cut back some of its branches. I no longer have a yen for banks.
 
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/tampared May 4, 2020
Financial collapse in Japan
Origami Bank has folded.
Sumo Bank has gone belly up.
Bonsai Bank has had to cut back some of its branches.
Karaoke Bank has been put up for sale and is going for a song.
There’s something fishy going on at Sushi Bank…shareholders are afraid they might get a raw deal.
Kamikaze Bank shares have nose-dived.
500 jobs at Karate Bank have been chopped.

 
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