Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima, is one among 505 uninhabited islands in Nagasaki
Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself.
History The island was populated from 1887 to 1974
as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned and undisturbed
concrete apartment buildings and the surrounding sea wall. The island has been administered
as part of Nagasaki city since the merger of the former town of Takashima in 2005.
It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi
bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was extracting coal from
undersea mines. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in
1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers. Concrete was specifically used
to protect against typhoon destruction. In 1959, the 6.3-hectare island's population
reached its peak of 5,259, with a population density of 835 people per hectare for the
whole island, or 1,391 per hectare for the residential district.
As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all
over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced
the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it is called
Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima was re-opened on April 22, 2009 after 35 years of closure.
Etymology Battleship Island is an English translation
of the Japanese nickname for Hashima Island, Gunkanjima. The island's nickname came from
its apparent resemblance to the Japanese battleship Tosa. It also is known as the Ghost Island.
Current condition
The island is increasingly gaining international attention not only generally for its modern
regional heritage, but also for the undisturbed housing complex remnants representative of
the period from the Taishō period to the Shōwa period. It has become the frequent
subject of discussion among enthusiasts for ruins.
Since the abandoned island has not been maintained, several buildings have already collapsed.
Other existing buildings are subject to breakage. However, certain collapsed exterior walls
have been restored with concrete. While the island was owned by Mitsubishi Material
up until 2002, it was voluntarily transferred to Takashima town. Currently, Nagasaki city,
which absorbed Takashima town in 2005, exercises jurisdiction over the island. A small portion
of the island was re-opened for tourism on April 22, 2009. A full re-opening of the island
would require an enormous amount of money to make the premises safe, due to the aging
of the buildings. Recent interest
On August 23, 2005, landing was permitted to journalists only. The scene of the ruined
locations on the island was broadcast in the media. Originally, Nagasaki City planned restoration
of a pier for the prospective tourist landing in April 2008. In addition, a 220-metre long
visitor walkway was planned. Due to the delay in development construction,
however, in the end of 2007, the city announced that public access was delayed for approximately
one year up until spring 2009. However, the city faced safety concerns, regarding the
risk of collapse of the buildings on the island due to significant aging.
Because of the harsh weather, it was estimated that landing would only be feasible for fewer
than 160 days per year. From a cost-effectiveness point of view, the city considered relinquishment
of plans to extend the visitor walkway further for an approximate 300 metres toward the
eastern part of the island and approximately 190 meters toward the western part of the
island after 2009. In 2009, the island was featured in History
Channel's Life After People, first season episode "The Bodies Left Behind" as an example
of the decay of concrete buildings after only 35 years of abandonment. The island was again
featured in 2011 in episode six of a 3D production for 3net, Forgotten Planet discussing the
island's current state, history and unauthorized photo shoots by urban explorers. During the
2009 Mexican photography festival FotoSeptiembre, Mexican photographers Guillaume Corpart Muller
and Jan Smith, along with Venezuelan photographer Ragnar Chacin showcased images from the island
in the exhibition "Pop. Density 5,000/km2". The exhibit traced urban density and the rise
and fall of cities around the world. The Japanese Cultural Institute in Mexico
used the images of Corpart Muller and Smith in the photography exhibit, "Fantasmas de
Gunkanjima", organized by Daniela Rubio, as part of the celebrations surrounding 200 Years
of Diplomacy Mexico–Japan. Sony featured the island in a video promoting
one of their video cameras. The camera was mounted onto a mini, multi-rotor, RC helicopter
and flown around the island as well as throughout many buildings. The video was posted on YouTube
in April 2013. In 2013, Google sent an employee to the island
with a Street View backpack to capture its condition in panoramic 360-degree views and
allow users to take a virtual walk across the island. Google also used its Business
Photos technology to let users look inside the abandoned buildings, complete with old
black-and-white TVs and discarded soda bottles. In June 2013, German publisher Steidl published
the book Gunkanjima by French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre. The book
also features some historical pictures made by photographer Chiyuki Ito who lived and
worked on the island. World Heritage registration
A non-profit organization, "The Way to World Heritage Gunkanjima", has proposed that Gunkanjima
island be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site as one of The Modern Industrial Heritage
Sites in Kyushu and Yamaguchi. The process leading to designating the property as a World
Heritage Site includes: preparation of the nomination letter attesting the value of the
property; a field investigation, after the property nomination, by the Japanese government,
which is submitted to UNESCO; discussion of the proposal by the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee. The representatives of six prefectures and 11 cities, including Yuichiro Ito, Governor
of Kagoshima Prefecture, and Genjiro Kaneko, Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture, jointly submitted
to the Agency for Cultural Affairs a proposal for addition of the "Modern Industrial Heritage
Sites in Kyushu and Yamaguchi" to the Japan's tentative candidate list for World Heritage
nomination. In August 2006, the Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry decided to support
the World Heritage designation proposal in an attempt to promote the utilization of the
Meiji-Era industrial heritage, including Hashima, as tourism resources in the Kyushu and Yamaguchi
region. On September 26, 2008, the Agency for Cultural
Affairs added the "Modern Industrial Heritage Sites in Kyushu and Yamaguchi" to the tentative
lists. It was concluded that the property possesses outstanding universal value; the
property clearly attests the intensive introduction of Western technology, which served as the
driving force for Japan's rapid industrialization in a dramatically brief period and its own
industrial modernisation processes. This submission is contested by South Korean
authorities, who object on the grounds that the coal mining facilities on the island employed
forced Korean and Chinese labourers during World War II.
Access
When people resided on the island, the Nomo Shosen line serviced the island from Nagasaki
Port via Ioujima Island and Takashima Island. In 1970, 12 round trip services were available
per day. It took 50 minutes to travel from the island to Nagasaki. After all residents
left the island, the direct route was discontinued. Currently, sightseeing boat trips around the
island are provided by two operators; Yamasa-Kaiun from Nagasaki Port, Kyodo Co. from Nomo Island.
As of April 22, 2009, the island is open once again for public visits, with Yamasa Kaiun
providing transportation to the island from Nagasaki.
In popular culture In the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, the island
served as an inspiration for the lair of villain Raoul Silva. Although exterior footage of
the island is featured, no scenes were filmed on the island itself. Exterior sets of the
island were recreated using a combination of CGI and practical effects at Pinewood Studios
in Great Britain. The 1949 film Midori Naki Shima was shot on
Hashima Island. The Japanese rock band B'z used the island
as the location for the filming of the music video for their 2009 single "My Lonely Town"
and also shot photos for the CD cover and packaging there.
See also World Heritage Sites in Japan
References
External links