Nagasaki UNESCO World Heritage / Industrial Revolution
The origin of Japan’s modernization is here. Under the growing sense of crisis over a foreign
menace, Nagasaki supported the introduction of Western countries technology, which started
during the last years of Japan’s National isolation period. With “ Dejima ” as the only window
to West during the period of National isolation. Nagasaki has contributed to Japan’s modernization
by serving as a place to acquire knowledge from oversea.
Nagasaki contributed for Shipbuilding and Coal Mining and 7 sites have been
registered on the UNESCO World Heritage, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.
Located on Minami-Yamate hill in Nagasaki-city, Glover Garden has nine Western style buildings
including the Glover’s Residence built in 1863 by Japanese carpenter Koyama Hidenoshin. The
Glover Residence is Japan’s oldest wooden Western-style building.
Former Pattern Shop / Shipyard History Museum
The Former Pattern Shop was built in 1898 to produce wooden patterns for castings and is the
oldest factory building in the shipyard. It is a two-storied brick building with a timber roof truss.
There is a U-shaped rail on the ceiling to transport materials. The building was refurbished to the
Shipyard History Museum in 1985 and is open to the public.
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Giant Cantilever Crane
The Giant Cantilever Crane is the first electric-powered crane of its type in Japan, imported from
Scotland in 1909, which is the oldest surviving one in operation in the world. It can still lift a load
of 150 tons and is used to ship heavy goods.
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Hashima Coal Mine / Gunkan-jima island
Hashima coal mining island is an artificial reclaimed island and the site of Japan’s first major
undersea coal exploitation (1890) pioneered by Mitsubishi – and host to one of the world’s
most extraordinary former mining communities. Hashima Island is located 3 km southwest of
Takashima, and it was the success of Takashima that led Mitsubishi to purchase this island – both
islands giving access to the same undersea coal deposit. Now Hashima is a ruin called “Gunkanjima”,
so called after its resemblance to the silhouette of a battleship.
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Former Pattern Shop / Shipyard History Museum
The Former Pattern Shop has been registered on UNESCO World Heritage
as Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. The Former Pattern Shop was built in
1898 to produce wooden patterns for castings and is the oldest factory building in the
shipyard. It is a two-storied brick building with a timber roof truss. There is a U-shaped
rail on the ceiling to transport materials. The building was refurbished to the Shipyard
History Museum in 1985 and is open to the public.
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Location of Nagasaki-city
General information
Address | 1-1 Akunoura-machi, Nagaaki-city, Nagasaki-prefecture |
Access |
15 minutes by a vehicle from JR Nagasaki station |
Open hours | 9:00 to 16:30 advance reservation is required |
Admission fee | JPY 800 |
Days closed | Second Saturday |
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Kitakyushu UNESCO World Heritage / Industrial Revolution
World Heritage, Site of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. The four sites of Yawata Steel
Works in Kitakyushu area have been inscribed as Iron and Steel Industry. Iron and Steel,
Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining are a grouping of historic sites that played an important part
in the industrialization of Japan in the Bakumatsu and Meiji periods.
History of Industrial Revolution
The buildings of the Imperial Steel Works, Japan at Yawata Works are the surviving components
of Asia’s first successful integrated iron and steel works: the State-run Imperial Steel Works opened
in 1901. It is located in the northernmost part of Fukuoka Prefecture, the north end of Kyushu, 8 km
south of Hibiki-Nada Seashore close to the continent of China. Their present-day setting is still a
working industrial landscape set in the south-eastern section of Yawata Works which, for over a
century, has consistently maintained a leading role in the Japanese steel industry.
Japan’s Steel Industry |
Kawachi Reservoir |
Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace |
World Heritage Sites
First Head Office of the Steel Works
Built in 1899, ahead of production facilities. It is an architectural fusion of Japanese and European
design, a two story red brick building with bilateral symmetry and a central dome set in a Japanese
tile roof.
World leading rails produced in the Steel Works |
First Head Office building
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Observation deck of the World Heritage |
Built in 1910 on the east bank of the Onga River. It served, and still serves, to deliver industrial water
to Yawata via an 11.4 km pipeline. This supply is integral to the steel production process and was
necessary to cope with the 1st phase expansion of the Imperial Steel Works.
Onga River |
Onga River Pump Station |
Water piping to the Steel Works |
General information
Address | Higasida, Yahata-higasiku, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka-prefecture |
Access |
20 minutes by a vehicle from JR Kokura Station 70 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city 110 minutes by a vehicle from Beppu |
Industrial Heritages in Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu-city is the industrial innovation city where a lot of Japan’s Industries were born
and Japan’s industrial modernization has been achieved. The city presents various Industrial
Heritages including UNESCO World Herigate of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.
First Head Office of the Steel Works UNESCO World Heritage
Built in 1899, ahead of production facilities. It is an architectural fusion of Japanese and
European design, a two story red brick building with bilateral symmetry and a central dome
set in a Japanese tile roof.
World leading rails producing in the Steel Works |
First Head Office building registered on the World Heritage |
Observation deck of the World Heritage |
Onga River Pump Station, UNESCO World Heritage
Built in 1910 on the east bank of the Onga River. It served, and still serves, to deliver industrial
water to Yawata via an 11.4 km pipeline. This supply is integral to the steel production process
and was necessary to cope with the 1st phase expansion of the Imperial Steel Works.
Onga River |
Onga River Pump Station |
Water piping to the Steel Works |
The first-class civil construction heritage that triggered the registration of World Cultural Heritage of
Meiji Japan’s Industrial Revolution.Th e Kawachi Reservoir was constructed for the industrial water
supply to Yawata Steel Works.
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The Blast Furnace used to make the pig iron and was where Japan’s steel industry began in 1901.
It contributed greatly to the development of the Japanese steel industry and was used until 1972,
and has been preserved just as it was.
Indication of the year of Steel Works operation commencement |
Proper of Blast furnace, Hot Stoves and Stack |
Cast house floor, the pig iron is being discharged |
Dedicated railway for Yawata Steel Works
Connected between Yawata and Tobata. Construction work took three years, and completed in
1930. The most difficult and hard work was making Miyatayama tunnel with a total length of 1180m
due to suffering from floods. The gates of the Miyatayama tunnel are decorated with stately designs.
The rail way crossing the road |
Miyatayama tunnel Yahata side |
Miyatayama tunnel Tobata side |
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