When copper was discovered in these mountains at the end of the 17th century, the Sumitomo family began operating what would become one of Japan’s most important copper mines. For nearly 280 years, Besshi Copper Mine laid the foundation for the Sumitomo Zaibatsu.
At its peak, it produced about 30% of Japan’s copper. More than 5,000 people lived here in what was known as a “city in the sky,” complete with schools, hospitals, and homes.
By the second half of the 20th century, the copper had been mined out, and the mine closed in 1973. But the story of Sumitomo did not end there. More than three centuries after copper was first discovered here, the Sumitomo name still lives on. Today, Sumitomo Forestry is helping restore these mountains by planting trees.
Walking through these ruins, I was reminded that no matter how rich a mine may be, it will one day run dry. Yet what stayed with me most was something even deeper. The forests slowly reclaiming these brick ruins seemed to whisper a timeless truth: even the greatest creations born of human effort eventually return to nature.
江戸時代の始まりに銅鉱脈が発見され、住友家は約280年にわたってこの鉱山を経営しました。その間、この山には鉱山で働く人々とその家族が暮らし、社宅や学校、病院までそろった、約5,000人が暮らす「天空の街」が築かれていました。
しかし、鉱山は閉山。今では住友林業が植林を進め、かつて産業で栄えた山は少しずつ森へと還っています。
レンガ造りの遺構を木々や苔が静かに包み込む光景を歩いていると、まるで『天空の城ラピュタ』のラストシーンを歩いているような気持ちになりました。人間が築き上げた巨大な産業も、長い時間の流れの中では自然へと帰っていく。その静かな余韻が、この場所には今も残っていました。