Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace: a World Heritage site from the 1850s
Twin brick chimneys built in the 1850s to cast cannon, now part of the 'Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution' World Heritage listing.
- Built
- 1853–1857
- World Heritage
- 2015
In a quiet valley of tea fields in Izunokuni stand two pairs of brick chimneys, about 15 metres tall: the Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace (Nirayama Hansharo). After foreign warships began appearing off Japan, the local magistrate Egawa Hidetatsu was ordered in 1853 to build a furnace that could melt iron for cannon. He died in 1855 before it was finished; his son Hidetoshi completed it in 1857 with help from the Saga domain. The first cannon were cast in 1858, and the furnace was used until 1864.
World Heritage
In 2015 the furnace was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution". It is the only working reverberatory furnace of its period that survives in Japan.
Visiting
Start at the guidance centre, which explains how the furnace worked. Fees and hours change, so check before you go. The site is a short taxi or bus ride from Izu-Nagaoka station on the Izuhakone Railway, and combines well with a hot spring stay in Izu-Nagaoka or Shuzenji.
