Hashima Island

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"Gunkanjima" redirects here. For the island in Ishikawa Prefecture, see Mitsukejima.
View of Hashima Island from the sea
View of Hashima Island from the sea
Buildings and the "Stairway to Hell", inside of Hashima Island
Buildings and the "Stairway to Hell", inside of Hashima Island

Hashima Island (端島; meaning "Border Island"), commonly called Gunkanjima (軍艦島; meaning "Battleship Island") is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it.

"Battleship Island" is an English translation of the Japanese nickname for Hashima Island, Gunkanjima. The island's nickname came from its apparent resemblance to a battleship, or gunkan (jima is a mutation of shima) due to its high sea-walls. It also is known as the Ghost Island. 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 retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km^2) for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare (139,100 people/km^2) for the residential district, the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. 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's called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima is currently prohibited.

Singer-songwriter Okazaki Ritsuko was born on Hashima Island, and sound artist Mika Björklund's latest project is dedicated to it.

[edit] Media appearances

The island has been featured in numerous films, such as the 2003 film Battle Royale II: Requiem, the 1949 film Midori Naki Shima (The Greenless Island) was shot on Hashima Island. The island is also the setting of the final stage in the 2005 video game killer7, where it is strictly referred to as Battleship Island. It was also referenced in the Manga Midori Days and the Anime Get Backers.

[edit] References

Brian Burke-Gaffney, "Hashima: The Ghost Island". In Crossroads: A Journal of Nagasaki History and Culture, No.4, Summer 1996, pp.33-52. ISSN:0919-6102 Click here for the text of the article.

[edit] External links