Besshi Copper Mines Heritage of Industrial Modernization

In 1874, Sumitomo hired French engineer Louis Claude Bruno Larroque in a bid to modernize operation of the copper mines. Some 180 years since their inauguration, the Besshi Copper Mines were grappling with several tough issues. Such deep shafts had been excavated that groundwater was constantly well up, causing a lot of trouble and constraining the miners’ freedom of action. The old-fashioned method was good enough for smelting rich ore with high copper content but not up to the task of smelting lower-grade ores with copper content of 3% or so, which meant such ores were left unexploited. Moreover, porters carried the ore to the foot of the mountain via a steep mountain pathway and so transportation was totally reliant on manpower.

Larroque spent almost two years thoroughly analyzing the circumstances of the mines and prepared a report on modernization measures utilizing the latest know-how and technology. Based on Larroque’s masterplan, extensive modern facilities were constructed at Kyubesshi from 1876 onward. As a result, the output of the mines, which had been less than 6,000 tons in 1868, exceeded 50,000 tons in 1893, and the Besshi Copper Mines contributed greatly to the emergence of Japan as a formidable industrial power.

The transportation of copper ore to the foot of the mountain and of items to the Besshi Copper Mines had long been completely reliant on manpower. Even the use of horses was difficult on the tortuous mountain tracks of the Besshi Copper Mines. However, it would not be possible to dramatically increase copper production without greatly improving the efficiency of transportation. In 1800 a 39-kilometer pathway for ox-drawn wagons was opened, connecting the mines to Niihama via the pass, but transportation along the pathway was often disrupted by severe weather. Therefore, a plan was formulated to construct a tunnel from north to south beneath the Dozangoe Pass.

On the southern slope of the mountain, the Daidaikou, an existing tunnel formerly used for removing water from the Toen district, was excavated further. On the northern slope, excavation started from Kadoishihara. The bluish bedrock was hard and the rock overhead contained clay. The project was challenging because of the risk of rock falls. Despite many suggestions that foreign assistance should be sought, Saihei Hirose, then Director-General of Sumitomo, insisted on accomplishing the project solely through the efforts of the Japanese.

In 1886, after four years of excavation, Adit No. 1 with a length of 1,021 meters Adit No. 1was completed. There were hardly any errors in terms of the direction and the altitude. A tramway was laid in the tunnel for wagons, some drawn by laborers, others by horses. Adit No. 1 remained the principal transport artery for the Besshi Copper Mines until 1911 when Adit No. 3 superseded it.

The Takahashi Smelter was the first Western-style blast furnace at the Besshi Copper Mines. It was a brick-lined crucible furnace. Equipped with a fan, instead of a bellows, this furnace was able to handle large quantities of ore at high temperature.

Larroque’s plan was to smelt low-copper-content ore at the Takahashi Smelter and then transport the resulting blister copper to Niihama, because the cost of transporting such poor ore would be prohibitive. In 1800, two blast furnaces were constructed at the Takahashi Smelter based on Larroque’s design drawing. However, they failed because no practical trials were conducted prior to the start of operation. Subsequently, in the late 1880s, Western-style blast furnaces were constructed at Takahashi in the Besshiyama mountain and at Sobiraki in Niihama at the foot of the mountain.

The conduit in the photo was constructed in 1898 to cover the river in order to prevent slag discharged from the smelter from being released directly into the river. There was a slagheap near the smelter.

In 1899 a major flood devastated the Takahashi Smelter, which had been in full swing since its establishment, and the smelter’s functions were subsequently integrated with those of the Sobiraki Smelter in Niihama.

In line with the increase of the mining output from Toen in the 1880s and the opening of Adit No. 1 in 1886, the center of gravity of the mining operations shifted from Mettamachi, where the Mine Headquarters was located, to the Koashidani district. In addition to company housing for the mining manager and accommodation for the workers and a reception hall, an elementary school and a theater were built and a thriving mining community was established. Walls of stone and brick can still be seen scattered among the flourishing woodland, enduring witnesses to the bustle of days gone by.

The modernization pursued by the Meiji Restoration also had an impact on the way of life of the people working at the Besshi Copper Mines. Following the enforcement of the educational law by the Meiji government in 1872, Sumitomo established a private elementary school in Ashitani in 1875. According to the records, the school started with an enrolment of 37 youngsters, comprising 32 boys and 5 girls. Modern medicine became available with the opening of a hospital in 1883.

Following the start of mining in the Toen Inclined Shaft in 1882 and the opening of Adit No. 1, which was a major transportation route, in 1886, the Mine Headquarters and the housing for miners and their families were relocated to the Koashidani district near Toen.

If you hike for about 20 minutes along the trail that runs south from the Besshi Copper Mines, you will come across the remains of stone walls in the forest, where the Koashidani district once stood. A brewery was established in Koashidani in 1870 to make miso and soy sauce and to brew sake for people working in Besshi. Walk a little further up the slope from the remains of the brewery and you are in the center of what used to be the Koashidani district. In addition to company housing, there was a reception hall for welcoming important visitors. An elementary school was relocated from Mettamachi to newly constructed premises in Koashidani in 1888. Even a full-scale theater was constructed in 1889. Equipped with a revolving stage, the theater could accommodate an audience of 2,000 people. In May for the festival of the mountain god, celebrated theatrical troupes were invited from Kyoto and Osaka for kabuki and other performances.

The Besshi Mine Railway was constructed in 1893 to establish a transportation route connecting Niihama on the coast to the southern foot of the Besshi Copper Mines.

The railway was divided into three sections: the upper railway, a 5.5-kilometer section from Kadoishihara at an altitude of 1,100 meters near the North Entrance of Adit No. 1 to Ishigasanjyo at an altitude of 850 meters; the aerial cableway connecting Ishigasanjyo with Hadeba at an altitude of 164 meters; and the lower railway, a 10.3-kilometer section from Hadeba to Yamane and Sobiraki (Niihama) where the smelters were located.

The upper railway was Japan’s first alpine railway. However, the upper railway was abolished in 1911 coinciding with the opening in that year of Adit No. 3 connecting Tonaru to Hiura in Besshiyama, which ended the role of Adit No. 1.

The lower railway remained in operation and also started a service for general passengers in the Showa era as a means of transport for local residents. In 1977 shortly after the closure of the Besshi Copper Mines, operation of the lower railway was terminated.