Hashima Island (Gunkanjima / Battleship Island)
Hashima Island, commonly known as Gunkanjima (“Battleship Island”), lies off the coast of Nagasaki. Owing to its silhouette resembling a massive warship, it has become one of the most iconic symbols of Japan’s industrial history. Originally just a small reef, the island was completely transformed after coal was discovered in the late 19th century. Between 1897 and 1931, six major land reclamation and seawall construction projects expanded its area to 6.3 hectares, creating today’s long, narrow, and fortified artificial island. The central rocky ridge divided the island: the northwest and summit housed residential and daily-life facilities, while the southeast was reserved for mining pits, coal processing plants, and transport systems.
The prosperity of coal mining fostered an extraordinary form of dense urban life. In 1916, Building No. 30, Japan’s first reinforced concrete high-rise apartment complex, was completed—an early landmark of modern architecture. More residential blocks followed, including Buildings No. 16–20, and the massive Building No. 65, a seven-story apartment complex built during the final years of World War II. Designed to maximize housing in limited space, the island included shops, a nursery, a police station, a post office, and entertainment facilities, turning it into a true “miniature city floating on the sea.” In the 1960s, the population exceeded 5,000, making the density nine times greater than central Tokyo—earning it the nickname “hive on the sea.” However, the quality of life varied by social class: managers and engineers lived in wooden residences with private baths, while ordinary miners’ families depended on shared kitchens, narrow staircases, and lacked elevators.
Nature posed both hardships and inspiration. With no soil for greenery, residents carried sand onto rooftops to build small gardens, cultivating cacti, succulents, and flowers for comfort. Schools promoted a “flower planting movement” to brighten the bleak concrete landscape. Yet, the island faced constant battering from rough seas and typhoons; waves often struck even the upper stories of the buildings, gradually eroding their structures.
By 1974, coal mining had lost its economic value, the mine closed, and all residents evacuated. Without maintenance, the reinforced concrete structures deteriorated rapidly under the salt-laden winds. Today, crumbling facades, exposed rebar, and collapsing balconies provide rare case studies of early concrete aging.
Hashima’s legacy is tied not only to Japan’s industrial revolution but also to international controversy. In 2015, it was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.” However, because Korean laborers were forcibly conscripted to work here during World War II, South Korea strongly opposed the inscription, sparking global debate. Japan eventually promised to provide fuller historical explanations to secure World Heritage status.
Today, Gunkanjima is famed for its aesthetic of ruins. Rusting steel, weathered walls, and hollow high-rises create a hauntingly powerful landscape. Since 2009, limited guided tours have allowed visitors to walk along designated routes and witness the ghostly remains of this “ruined city at sea.” Standing on the island, one can almost imagine the once-bustling alleys, the laughter of schoolchildren, the tension of miners descending underground, and the evening glow of cooking smoke mixed with neon lights.
Gunkanjima has also inspired numerous cultural works. It first appeared in the 1949 film No Green Island. More recently, it served as the model for the villain’s hideout in Skyfall (2012, James Bond series), and was an actual filming location for the live-action Attack on Titan. Music videos such as B’z’s MY LONELY TOWN and KAT-TUN’s productions were also shot here. The Korean film The Battleship Island dramatized the history of forced labor on the site.
