* This article is based on FuraidoGunkanjima comes back to life in colorThis is a re-edited version of a portion of ” (Eastern Shinsho Q).
Japan’s first reinforced concrete high-rise residential building is Building 30 on Gunkanjima.
Civilian dwellings in Japan from the Meiji period to the Taisho period were generally made of wood, and even on Gunkanjima there were rows of wooden coal mine tenement houses. From 1916 (Taisho 5), the building was rebuilt into Japan’s first reinforced concrete (RC) apartment building to cope with the dense population and increase the number of housing units. Building 30 on Gunkanjima, the oldest concrete (RC) apartment building in Japan, was a four-story building, but was expanded into a large apartment building with seven floors above ground. The tall apartment buildings that were built on this small island give an idea of how large the population was.
Photo provided by Furaido
The building was often called “Glover House” because the designer of Building 30 was related to the owner of “Glover House,” where the British merchant Thomas Glover lived.
Housing on the island was company housing or dormitories, which prospered as a coal mine for Mitsubishi Mining (now Mitsubishi Materials). As a result, Mitsubishi miners, their families, and those working as subcontractors did not have to worry about this, as rent was free. However, there were clear differences in housing rates by employment status.
Rent is cheap for miners, but housing varies by status.
The mine manager’s residence (Building No. 5), where the executives lived, was already built in 1949 (Showa 24), and is located on the most privileged ridge line on the island, with a unique view, and it is the only two-wave. building a story on the island It was a luxury house with a pool. Staff housing (Buildings 2, 3, 8, 14, 25, 56, and 57) was also built on a hill with a good view. Most of the rooms were 2K or 3K in size, and executive personnel housing built after 1959 had indoor pools.
On the other hand, the miners’ company housing (buildings 16-20, 30, and 65) had communal baths and toilets. Buildings 16 to 20, generally known as “daily wage company housing”, were built on low-lying land on the northwest side and were seawalls, so the windows were small and the poor ventilation.
The lower floors of Building 30 on Gunkanjima, which is surrounded by the sea, were always damaged by moisture and bad smells. In addition, because it was built in a place where the strongest winds, rain, and waves hit when the sea was rough, rainwater poured down the stairs the stairs. After a typhoon, the first floor was flooded with water, and household goods and other items were found floating.
