Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

This industrial heritage site is a group of 23 locations spread across eight prefectures in southwestern Japan, featuring iron furnaces, shipyards and coal mines. Each location shows different aspects of early heavy industry, from iron smelting to shipbuilding, that Japan developed in the decades after opening its borders.

The Chōshū domain built the first facilities in Hagi between 1850 and 1863, including the reverberatory furnace and Ebisugahana shipyard, to learn Western techniques. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the new government expanded these experiments into full industrial complexes in other regions, which remained active until 1910.

The Choshu Five samurai students traveled to Britain, gaining knowledge that influenced the development of these industrial facilities and Japan's constitutional structure.

The locations are far apart, so travelers should plan several days and focus on one area at a time. Most tours in Hagi start from the train station, while other sites like Nagasaki and Kagoshima require separate trips and local guides.

The Ohitayama Tatara iron works combined Japanese tatara smelting techniques with European blast furnace methods, creating a hybrid form of metallurgy. This mixture allowed engineers to compare both systems and apply the strengths of each tradition in a single facility.