PEOPLE

The birthplace of iron was not the Yawata Steelworks.

Kato: You mentioned earlier that you opened a panel exhibition called 'From Kamaishi to Yawata'. The history of iron and steel dates back to the time when Takato Oshima, known as the 'father of the iron industry', received an order from the Morioka clan and succeeded in producing pig iron by smelting iron ore for the first time in Japan at the Hashino iron mine in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture. This made it possible to mass-produce high-quality iron, which led to the activities of the Yawata Ironworks, such as railway building and shipbuilding. However, this was a new fact.

Amioka Until then, we honestly thought that the Yawata Ironworks was the birthplace of iron, so we were surprised.

Kato: Initially, the ‘Hashino Iron Mine and Blast Furnace Site’ was not included among the component parts of the industrial heritage. At the preparatory stage of submitting the UNESCO nomination, it was decided that the story of the Industrial Revolution in Meiji Japan would not be complete without the inclusion of Hashino.　I would like to ask whether there was any difficulty linking Kamaishi and Yawata in a single history, even though they were part of the same company, Nippon Steel Corporation.

Amioka: As long as that is a historical fact, I think it was good to know the truth. Kamaishi became a component part in 2013, and this became a company-wide initiative for Nippon Steel Corporation and created momentum. Therefore, for our part, we were grateful and encouraged by the emergence of Kamaishi. We shared the feeling with the government that if regulatory reform is achieved, a new path will open up.

Kato: Did you think the regulatory reforms would be successful?

Amioka: To be honest, I prepared myself for the fact that it would not be easy. I went to Mr Hiroto Izumi, then Director of the Integrated Department for Regional Revitalisation of the Cabinet Secretariat, to ask him for help, and we had many discussions. Mr Izumi was very enthusiastic and encouraged us to move forward, but there were so many resolutions that we were unsure whether we would be able to get things done promptly.

Kato: There was also the problem of how to confront the resistance.

Amioka: There was also the question of how to persuade the resistance; however, we could not do anything about that, so there was a period of patience where we had no choice but to watch the situation closely.

Kato: That was a tough period. At the Administrative Reform Council, “a review of the centrality of the Act on Protection of Cultural Properties for the World Registry of Industrial Heritage” was discussed. Still, the Agency for Cultural Affairs expressed the view that it would be difficult to register the site if it could only be protected by law. I will never forget the days I spent in anguish. Even amidst such time, I am convinced that it was because of the support of Hachiman that Mr Izumi was able to fight against it. I am also impressed by the fact that the late Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, Hiroshi Ogawa, who did not understand us at first, became very proactive in supporting us after we held a symposium in Tokyo in October 2009. I think the softening of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ stance was primarily due to the fact that Mr Ogawa was a governor of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Amioka That's right. Governor Ogawa could not push for something Nippon Steel Corporation had not agreed to, so I think he was waiting for a conclusion on whether or not Nippon Steel Corporation would agree. For us, there was a sense of security in the fact that the national, prefectural and municipal governments were all working in the same direction, so I think we started to move in the right direction from then on.

Kato: Nippon Steel Corporation played a central part in the 'Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution, so Nippon Steel Corporation was the key to the World Heritage registration. I am really glad that Mr Amioka was the person in charge of the project. I think that was the divine wind itself.

Amioka: No, no, not at all.

Kato: I was moved by your passion for the Higashida Blast Furnace No. 1. You said that you really wanted to include it amongst the component parts.

Amioka Of course, we had our own passion for the Higashida Blast Furnace No. 1, which is the mother of iron, but before that, we felt the passion of the local people. In fact, there was talk of demolishing the Higashida Blast Furnace No. 1 when urban development was started here, and the steelworks had that intention as well. Still, the local people said that it was a symbol of the local identity, and after a year of discussion, it was decided to donate it to the city and preserve it. Because it was such an essential asset for the local people, even though we were aware that it did not meet the criteria for World Heritage status, we continued to appeal that it was still valuable.

Kato: Unfortunately, the site did not become an individual component part, but it is undeniable that that place is the single most important site in the industrialisation of our country.

There is a saying, " Iron is the mother of mining and the guardian of the country. If the iron industry is neglected, all will not be well......" Through my studies on Yawata, my heart was moved many times, so I prepared the nomination form with a burning desire to make this industrial heritage site a World Heritage Site. Mr Amioka consulted with me and advised me that I should put this kind of photo here and that I needed this kind of commentary. Most people in government offices typically do not know such things. Even the chief of the Iron and Steel Department does not know where to find photos related to the history of modern iron and steel or what they are doing in these photos.