Change. Everything changes. In former times, Hashima – a Japanese island located about 20 kilometers from the city of Nagasaki – was called “the island without green”, because there was only cement and concrete. But, when the population left this islet in 1974, nature returned in full force; as usually happens every time man leaves a site.
The small island, 400 meters long and 150 meters wide, was once one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Today, that place looks like a ghost town from the traditional zombie series. Hashima is also called Gunkanjima, which means battleship. This denomination comes from its days of splendor: when its owners, the Mitsubishi company, had built a wall around it to protect the population from typhoons.
A little history
The history of this unique Japanese terroir begins in 1887 when a coal seam was discovered in the subsoil of the sea, about 200 meters below the island. A few years later, Mitsubishi bought the islet to exploit it and in 1889 two vertical tunnels had already been drilled that connected to the bottom. As coal production increased (in 1916 the mine produced 150,000 tons of coal), the island’s population and buildings increased, to the point where it became a human anthill.
With the arrival of the First World War there was a noticeable increase in the demand for coal. Thus, Hashima expanded his supremacy in the area. Around 3,000 people lived in Gunkanjima at the time. The workers linked to the extraction of coal, despite having very hard days, enjoyed high salaries. At the same time, Mitsubishi began to build the first reinforced concrete buildings for the workers. It was basic real estate, where luxury was not contemplated. The apartments were small and consisted of a room with a window, a door, and the hall. The bathrooms and the kitchen were shared. Mitsubishi employees or higher-ranking staff had different luck.
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There, in 1917, what was for a long time the tallest building in Japan, with nine floors, was built in the center of the island.. From then on, the island earned the nickname “the island without green”. There, there was no place for nature. Population growth demanded the creation of a school, shops, a cinema, a hospital, and a casino. Later came a sanctuary, tennis courts, cafes, and even a public swimming pool. The island was so small that there was no room for vehicles.
By 1941, the year of the Pearl Harbor attack, annual coal production had reached 410,000 tons. As there was no labor because almost all the men were part of the Second World War for the extraction of the ore, the work of a large number of prisoners was demanded.
By 1945, more than 1,300 workers on the island had died due to the extreme conditions they endured in the mine and on the island. Fifteen years later, in 1960, the island reached its largest population, some 5,000 people. But from then on the decline began.
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The beginning of the end of Hashima came from the hand of oil. Crude began to replace coal and mines began to close. Over time, Mitsubishi had to relocate workers to other areas. The official closure happened a few years later, in 1974. In 2002 the company donated the island to Nagasaki and in 2009 it was reopened for tourists.
The Nation / Argentina (GDA)
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