Episode 1 of 6

Hashima Coal Mine Development

When: 1868
Where: Hashima Island, Nagasaki, Japan
Part of: Meiji Restoration declared and the Boshin War opens in Japan

Thomas Blake Glover began developing Japan's first coal mine at Hashima Island.

In 1868, Thomas Blake Glover made a contract with the Nabeshima clan of Saga Domain to develop Japan's first coal mine at Hashima Island. This marked an early industrial development during the Meiji era.

Sources

Thomas Blake Glover Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-14

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.