In 1469 a Kyushu farmer made a bonfire in the wilderness which to his surprise set a black rock on fire. Centuries later, what started as a happy accident would go on to play a starring role in a critical period in Japan’s history. After the 1868 Meiji restoration the feudal nation needed to leap forward and bypass centuries of technological development to reach parity with the West, to do so it needed to develop new industries and modernize old ones. Japan had mined coal before, but the demand for it was about to skyrocket and the methods of extraction needed to pick up the pace to meet it.
The Miike coal mine which straddles Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture and Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture began with that farmer story and in the late 1800s became the second mine to modernize. Using new methods and technology from abroad Japan’s personal West Virginia began to realize its potential; it also created jobs and forced the development of both railroad and shipping infrastructure on the island to move this valuable asset to markets both foreign and domestic. Miike became the nation’s largest coal mine and hit peak production in 1944 when it produced 4 million tons of coal.
In the latter half of the 20th century the demand for coal died down and by 1997 the once prosperous mine closed for good. The cost of operation and increasing risks finally no longer outweighed the potential return; it was now cheaper to import than to produce. The cultural value of the Miike coal mine was recognized when in 2018 it was added to the UNESCO world heritage list as part of the Meiji Industrial Revolution world heritage site. The Meiji Industrial Revolution site is a collection of 23 industrial locations from around Japan that collectively tell the story of Japan’s shipbuilding, iron, steel and coal-mining industries and their role in the nation’s modernization between the 1850s and 1910.
Omuta and Arao are proud of their coal-mining heritage and many coal-related facilities have been preserved, far more than could be seen in one day. We did our best though and sought out the most impressive and representative remaining facilities to learn how coal fueled the Meiji industrial revolution.
Manda Pit and Coal Mining Museum
If you can only see one site, this is it. Manda Pit is one of the UNESCO Heritage Site locations and rightfully so, it’s an impressive turn-of-the-century set of coal-mining ruins complete with original hardware. It began operations in 1902 and the preserved pithead came online in 1908, most of its preserved facilities are from around this time. It was decommissioned in 1951, which is possibly why it is so antiquated and original compared to the other mine shaft that we visited on the trip.
The guided tour is a must as the guide breaks down the mine operations and its history. After completing her tour we were free to roam at will unsupervised. It’s not a set linear path you can walk, but rather you have the entirety of the pithead facility to explore with few off-limits areas. As a a photographer I loved that I could get up close or reposition myself as necessary to get shots of the glorious red brick buildings and industrial machinery.
Most building interiors are locked except for the hoist machine room and shaft No.2 pithead, the one with the eye-catching steel-framed tower that looms over the facility. Originally there were two pitheads, the first one was sealed when it ceased operation and its steel winding tower relocated to Hokkaido. The actual shaft is closed but we could follow the railway tracks in and see the pit mouth. I was surprised to learn that horses or “pit ponies” were still an important part of mining in the 20th century; they were taken down and lived in the shafts as beasts of burden for the rest of their short lives. Our guide also told us that the British machinery used in the hoist room is special because it’s the only one of its kind left.
Signage on site is entirely bilingual.
Across the street from the pit parking lot is the coal mining museum. It has mining tools and dioramas depicting the evolution of the coal mine to help visualize the underground parts we can no longer see. Some were completely handmade by a retired miner and the little miner dolls in the shafts are kind of cute. It’s a good supplemental location if you or your long-suffering spouse can read Japanese.
Miikawa Mine Shafts
The Miikawa Mine Shafts in Omuta are later additions to the historic mine and began operations in 1940; the pair of shafts runs diagonally downward to reach coal deposits under the Ariake Sea and at the time used cutting edge technology. According to signage on site extensive use was made of POWs in coal mining during World War II and this was the site of a large labor strike in the early 1960s.
Now the decaying ruins are left untouched, but unlike the Manda Pit they have a forlorn post-apocalyptic atmosphere. It wasn’t evacuated or abandoned suddenly, but when work ended on the last day everyone put down what they were doing and just went home. As our guide walked us through the old shops we saw newspapers left on desks, faded sun-bleached signs and dusty calendars still adorning the walls as the buildings slowly come apart around them.
You can go alone or with a guide, and if you speak Japanese I recommend the guide. These are former miners telling you not about a museum display or artifacts, but about the lives they lived and the tools they used. They know this machinery and how the system worked because they once worked it or because down in the shafts their lives depended on it. The most impressive hardware still on-site is the cable winding room with its gigantic cable spool and the compressed air tanks.
Mining is extremely dangerous and special care was taken in its execution, so compressed air was used to operate equipment in the shaft. Despite this and other precautions, on Nov. 9, 1963 at 3:12 p.m. a catastrophic coal dust explosion occurred in Shaft No. 1 during a shift change, killing 458 and injuring 839 others. Many suffered permanent brain damage due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Our guide was working in the other shaft when it happened and talked about it to us.
Also on site is a collection of electrical locomotives that once supported mining operations which visitors can get inside. The tiny 1908 American-built GE locomotive has the distinction of being the oldest electrical locomotive in Japan. A much larger 1936 Toshiba electric locomotive on display is also interesting because while it is retired, two of its sisters are still operating and can be observed twice a day shuttling between Mitsui Chemicals sites in Omuta.
Major points and all the electric locomotives have full English signs; individual points of interest only have the place name translated.
Mitsui Minato Club
After seeing the dirty side of mining you can go next door to see the “civilized” side of the business at the Mitsui Minato Club. Mitsui was a zaibatsu, one of the massive conglomerates that had its hand in all aspects of business. They owned the mines, the shipping companies that moved the coal and the banks that underwrote the enterprises among many other things.
Once coal was mined it had to be shipped out across the Ariake Sea, a very large bay almost entirely enclosed by Nagasaki Prefecture on the sea side. To give the ship’s officers and company dignitaries a place to rest and amuse themselves this Mitsui Club was built in 1908 and today is one of three surviving Mitsui Clubs along with Mojiko (Kitakyushu) and Tokyo.
It’s not a museum, but if you enjoy old architecture its worth looking around. Inside and out it’s the height of late Meiji / Edwardian elegance. Of note, a calligraphy scroll adorning a dining room wall is the work of Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister. Rooms are furnished with antique furniture and fixtures, and there’s a corner dedicated to when the Showa Emperor (Hirohito) visited in 1949. If you finish around mid-day at the mine it’s not a bad place to stop for a meal or just a snack before carrying on to the Miike Port Customs House.
Miike Port Customs House (Nagasaki Customs Miike Branch)
Miike Port opened in 1908 to support the shipping of coal, and this meant the government needed to get its cut of the action too so Nagasaki Customs set up shop at the port. The Nagasaki Customs Miike Branch customs house is a tiny, quick stop to see and it’s a simple but still pleasant-looking design appropriate for a government office when compared to the more impressive Mitsui Minato Club. It’s also special because it is one of only five surviving Meiji-era customs houses. Inside a small, free museum details its history.
Most of the port is closed to visitors, but from the water’s edge near the customs house you can barely see a small barge-mounted yellow crane which was built in 1905 and is Japan’s oldest operating floating crane. (Though I was told it’s a pain to warm up so it is very rarely used.)
Recommended Course and Where to Stay
My recommended sightseeing course for is to first visit the Miikawa Mine Shafts & Mitsui Minato Club, Miike Customs House and finally move to Manda Pithead No. 2 & the coal mining museum in that order. If staying overnight in the area, I recommend driving 45 minutes to Yamaga for the onsen and to watch traditional Japanese dance and taiko drummers at Yachiyoza, a traditional Japanese theater in their Buzen Kaido Edo-era merchant district. Yamaga prides themselves on their ornate traditional lanterns, a theme which carries over into the traditional dancing in the theater and into the merchant district with a 1920s bank converted into a lantern museum.
Meiji Industrial Revolution website
http://www.japansmeijiindustrialrevolution.com/en/
ADDRESSES
Manda Pit and Coal Mining Museum
213-31 Haramanda, Arao, Kumamoto 864-0001
81968641300
Miikawa Mine Shafts and Mitsui Minato Club
2-6 Nishiminatomachi, Omuta, Fukuoka 836-0062
81944513710
https://www.mitsui-minatoclub.com/
Miike Port Customs House (Nagasaki Customs Miike Branch)
Shinkomachi, Omuta, Fukuoka 836-0061
2C6F+M3 Omuta, Fukuoka
http://www.miike-coalmines.jp/port.html