Hashino iron mining and smelting site

Lore & Background

During the Bakumatsu period, Ōshima Takatō, a samurai/engineer from Nanbu Domain, was hired by Mito Domain to construct modern western-style mortars. The project failed due to the inferior quality of iron produced by the reverberatory furnace he built in Mito Domain in 1855. He returned to Morioka and, assisted by an engineer on loan from Satsuma Domain, built a new western-style blast furnace near local deposits of magnetite in 1857. The furnace was based on a design found in the Dutch engineering text Het Gietwezen in s' Rijks Ijzer-Geschutgieterij te Luik by Huguenin. Although technically successful, the Tokugawa shogunate did not pursue further development due to the Mito rebellion and the suppression of western-style innovation during the Ansei Purge by the tairō Ii Naosuke.

The new Hashino blast furnace was turned by the shogunate to Morioka Domain in April 1859. Morioka Domain quickly expanded operations, constructing two more blast furnaces to produce 1125 tons of pig iron per year, using over 1000 workers, making it the largest smelter in Japan at the time. Although most of this iron was intended for weapons production, the domain also produced coinage on behalf of the government. When an order came from the government in 1868 to cease production, Morioka Domain continued to mint coins illegally on a large scale through 1869. This came to an end in 1871 after the Meiji restoration and the abolition of Morioka Domain, and the No.1 and No.2 blast furnaces were closed at that time. In 1894, the remaining blast furnace was absorbed into the Kamaishi Tanaka Metals Company and was later closed as well.

Reader's Guide

The Hashino iron mining and smelting site holds significance as the oldest western-style blast furnace in Japan, marking a pivotal transition from traditional to modern industrial methods during the Bakumatsu period. Its construction, based on a Dutch engineering text, reflects the influence of Western technology on Japan's iron production. The site's expansion under Morioka Domain made it the largest smelter in Japan at the time, producing pig iron for weapons and coinage. The illegal minting of coins after the 1868 order to cease production highlights the domain's defiance during the political upheaval of the Meiji restoration. The site's inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 as part of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution underscores its role in Japan's industrial heritage. Excavated in 1955 and protected as a National Historic Site in 1957, it was also recognized by the American Society of Metals in 1984 for its contribution to the development of the Yawata Iron and Steel Works.

Did You Know?

• The furnace design was based on the Dutch engineering text Het Gietwezen in s' Rijks Ijzer-Geschutgieterij te Luik by Huguenin.
• Morioka Domain illegally minted coins on a large scale from 1868 through 1869 after the government ordered production to cease.
• The site was recognized as a historical landmark by the American Society of Metals in 1984.
• The site was excavated in 1955 and became a National Historic Site in 1957.