144:, but at unfavorable rates. Many workers grew to have debts due to the job brokers. Originally Iriomote Island was sparsely inhabited, and the workers were imported from various parts of Japan, Taiwan and China without detailed information of the work they would be doing or the conditions they would be living in. Employment brokers used sweet words such as, "It is warm in Iriomote, and there is no need of clothes. There are many women and you can eat pine and bananas by extending your arms. You can make lots of money and there is no place better than this." However, the bananas have owners, and the pines were really
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had started and many workers were drafted for military service with the
Japanese Imperial army. In 1943, the coal mines ceased production due to a shortage of workers. After the war, the mines were taken over and reopened in 1953 by Americans who resumed production. Eventually, the arrangement of the
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were over, there was a new boom in coal mining. The
Okinawa Mining Company and Ryukyu Mining Company, both founded in 1906, were successful in coal mining operations at Iriomote. The mines were distributed on Uchibanare Island and the areas along the Nakaragawa river and the Urauchigawa River. The
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There had been repeated founding and merging of coal mine companies which had led to problems for the workers. The payment of wages was made by the Naya Seido or
Kinsaki method, by which a Kinsaki person was responsible for the production of coal and the personal management of the wage money. The
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company, and suggested the use of prisoners to mine the coal. Mitsui Bussan
Company started mining the coal with between 100 and 200 workers including prisoners. On 21 September 1889, there was a severe outbreak of malaria which put an end to mining operations for the time being.
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and not edible. The working conditions were very hard. Some of the workers tried to escape from the island, but they were seldom successful. The biggest company did have a 300-seat theater and other worker facilities.
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asked Ōhama Kana to find the coal. Ōhama was exiled to a remote island for leaking the secret. In 1885 the
Japanese Government first investigated the Iriomote Coal Mine. In 1886 a politician,
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salary of the workers was under the control of the
Kinsaki person or Nayagashira, and given in coupons redeemable at the shops of the company. The coupons were said to be interchangeable for
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had been known for a long time. In a document written at end of the 18th century, this burning stone was described in detail. In 1853 a technician with
American Commodore
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coal in thinning layers did not allow large quantities of coal to be mined. This led to small profits for the owners and the mines final closure in 1960.
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Saitoh, Yu (2004). "Miocene sandstone of 'continental' origin on
Iriomote Island, southwest Ryukyu Arc, Eastern Asia".
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In 1891, several companies resumed coal mining at
Iriomote but ceased their operations shortly thereafter. After the
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era. Between the layers of sandstone are layers of coal which vary from 15 to 90 cm thick. On the island, this
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On
Iriomote Island, sandstone layers of the Iriomote Formation of the Yaeyama Group were laid down in the
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ordered the people of Iriomote to plant trees to hide the coal mines. In 1871 Hayashi Tasuke of
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was a producing coal mine in the northwestern area of Uchibanare and
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extracted coal was energy rich and was exported to Japan and to
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reported the presence of coal in Shioya Bay, Okinawa. In 1854
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Ruins of Utara Coal Mine of Iriomote, Okinawa, Japan
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302:Buildings and structures in Okinawa Prefecture
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106:The development of the Iriomote coal mines
187:1983 jō chū ge, Okinawa Times Sha, Naha.
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16:Coal mine in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
194:1996, Nihon Keizai Hyōronsha, Tokyo.
192:History of Okinawa Iriomote Coal Mine
153:Decline and end of Iriomote Coal Mine
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206:Photo Album of Iriomote Coal Mine
234:Journal of Asian Earth Sciences
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254:10.1016/j.jseaes.2003.10.002
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208:2003, Nirai Sha, Okinawa.
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90:inspected the site with
135:Problems of the workers
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185:Okinawa Encyclopedia
312:Coal mines in Japan
246:2004JAESc..24..137S
146:pandanus tectorius
112:Russo-Japanese War
52:Okinawa Prefecture
29:Iriomote Coal Mine
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317:Former coal mines
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88:Yamagata Aritomo
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307:Yaeyama Islands
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172:Utara Coal Mine
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190:Takeshi Miki,
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159:Pacific War
116:World War I
296:Categories
183:Kei Higa,
178:References
142:bank notes
220:Footnotes
129:Hong Kong
50:Islands,
166:See also
125:Shanghai
99:Zaibatsu
48:Iriomote
242:Bibcode
121:Formosa
84:Satsuma
68:Miocene
62:History
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96:Mitsui
80:Ryūkyū
56:Japan
284:Miki
275:Miki
266:Higa
210:ISBN
196:ISBN
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35:西表炭鉱
27:The
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