Darn, me and my timing again… In my previous posting I referred to Gakuranman’s article about the Imari Kawaminami Shipyard – he mentioned a discussion in 2010 about demolishing the place; and I expressed how happy I was it didn’t happen between his visit and mine. Well, it seems like things are moving forward. The Japanese newspaper “Yomiuri” reported on June 24th (almost a week after I published my exploration experience) that the Yamashiro City Zoning Committee decided on June 9th that the Imari Kawaminami Shipyard is a safety hazard and not worth to be preserved as a historical landmark – they will demolish the place, only saving some of the pillars with the safety warnings (as seen on the photos below). And it took them only 50 years to realize that…
I guess the real reason for demolishing the place is the land reclamation project going on behind the seaside part of the shipyard which the dam mentioned in the previous posting is part of. Getting rid of the ruin will create a huge piece of land if both properties are combined – with access to both sea and the main road of the area.
I was quite shocked when I heard about the news today – it’s always a sad thing when abandoned buildings disappear, especially famous and unique ones like this. A place that grew on me a lot after I explored it, especially since there seemed to be a connection to the Katashima Suicide Training School.
Japan is quite weird when it comes to timing. Sometimes things drag forever and maybe the shipyard won’t be destroyed after all, although the committee made the decision to demolish the place. But sometimes things move extremely fast, so maybe the shipyard is already gone by the time I write these lines. Urbex is becoming more and more popular in Kyushu recently – if I hear any news I’ll make sure to keep you updated.
(To make this posting more colorful I chose six previously unpublished photos and uploaded them together with a video I forgot last time…)
Addendum 2012-1-30: The Imari Kawaminami Shipyard was demolished in late 2011 / early 2012. Now you can find its exact location on my *map of touristy and demolished ruins in Japan*.
Imari Kawaminami Shipyard (伊万里川南造船所) – R.I.P.?
2011/06/27 by Florian / Abandoned Kansai
Well bloody hell. Those sods are actually going ahead with demolition, if they get the mayor’s stamp (which I am sure they will). Pillars to be moved to a museum. What a rotten demise for such a wonderful place. This one was up there with the Maya Hotel in terms of natural decay and beauty. F*ck.
I totally get your anger – when I read the news during lunch break it basically ruined my day. While I can understand the point “safety hazard” for a lot of places I don’t understand it in this case. People must be very careless to even sprain an ankle… And there is not much around either, it’s not like they need the space (right now…) or that it is an eyesore – quite the opposite. The shipyard is such a tranquil place and the more I think about it the more I realize how much I enjoyed spending time there – much like you and the Maya Hotel. It would be a real shame if they’d follow through with their plans and rip the shipyard apart…
I live very close to Imari and I’ll be checking to see if this place is still standing shortly… Imari is a wreck of a city and I doubt they’ve gathered the funds to knock it down just yet, but I’m very nervous that I’ll never get a chance to see it.
Please keep me / us updated – it’s a beautiful place, one of the few really old abandoned places that aged naturally and with barely any vandalism. I think in Germany it would have a good chance being put under monumental protection.