History Woven at the Besshi Copper Mines Over 300 Years: The Sumitomo Group's Origins

In this article, members of the Enriching+ editorial team participated in an internal "Besshi Copper Mines Training Program" designed to deepen understanding of the Sumitomo Group’s history and business philosophy. The program began with visits to three Sumitomo-related memorial museums in Niihama City, followed by a challenging climb to the Besshi Copper Mines site.

Tracing how people once lived and worked in the Besshi Copper Mines.

First, Kanki Shaft— the very site where mining at Besshi began—comes into view. The pit was named "Kanki," meaning joy, after miners discovered a promising surface outcrop and confirmed through test excavation that it was an exceptionally rich ore body. Standing here, knowing this was the point where the Sumitomo Group’s history began, one cannot help but feel a quiet sense of awe.

In the early days of Besshi Copper Mines operation, all copper ore was extracted by hand. Miners made their way through dark tunnels guided only by the faint glow of "rato" lamps – small lights fueled by whale oil poured into turban shells. Mr. Takahashi explains that miners wore special straw sandals without heels. "Because visibility was so limited, they would tiptoe, carefully testing the ground with each step."

Before a road for ox carts was completed in 1880, people known as "nakamochi" carried rough copper, daily necessities and food supplies along steep, rocky mountain paths. Women carried loads of around 30 kilograms, while men bore as much as 45 kilograms on their backs.

Descending from Copper Mine Pass at an elevation of 1,294 meters, the editorial team walked the Izumiya Path, once traversed daily by 200–300 nakamochi. Even carrying only backpacks, the team found the steep downhill so demanding that there was little opportunity to take photographs. The experience brought home just how perilous and physically taxing this work must have been.

Despite these harsh conditions, life in the Besshi Copper Mines was not defined solely by hardship. Residents also found moments of joy in festivals held at the many local shrines scattered throughout the area.

Koashidani, the last settlement to be developed in the Besshi mining area, was home to facilities such as a reception hall for distinguished visitors and the residence of the mining division chief. Remnants of imposing red-brick walls remain, said to incorporate the design of the Sumitomo Group's "igeta" emblem. At the time, the mining division chief ranked just below the mine superintendent and even had a private well, befitting a residence of considerable stature.

Koashidani also boasted a theater capable of seating 1,000 people. Celebrated theatrical troupes were invited from Kyoto and Osaka to stage kabuki and other theatrical productions. Mr. Takahashi notes that because mining and smelting centers were shielded by a 1,300-meter mountain in the Edo and early Meiji eras, the theater provided cultural enrichment and solace to residents whose access to entertainment was otherwise limited. The foresight shown by Sumitomo Group leaders in providing these facilities for the sake of employees' and their families' wellbeing speaks to an advanced approach to labor management and employee welfare – one that still offers lessons today.

The Besshiyama Village, Uma County （present-day Besshiyama, Niihama City), Ehime Prefecture, prospered thanks to the Besshi Copper Mines. By the late Meiji era, its population had reached approximately 12,000 people, and the elementary school located within the Besshi Copper Mines area reportedly served around 300 students – comparable in size to a mid-sized public elementary school in present-day Niihama City, which has a population of about 115,000 and 16 elementary schools.

Before the Koashidani Brewery was completed in 1870, sake had to be transported by peddlers and nakamochi from towns north of the 1,300-meter-high Mount Dozan. Under the direction of general manager Saihei Hirose, a brewery was established within the mountains at an elevation of 1,000 meters. Mr. Takahashi recounts with a smile that, in earlier days, sake sometimes "diminished" during transport and was topped up with water – a problem that helped prompt the decision to brew locally. At its peak, the brewery produced 100 kiloliters of sake annually, and later also manufactured essential daily staples like miso and soy sauce.

Reaching the summit of Mount Dozan, visitors are rewarded with a sweeping view of Niihama City and the Seto Inland Sea. On the clear day of our visit, the cityscape and island-dotted seascape stretched dramatically into the distance.

Once home to more than 4,000 people, the Besshi Copper Mines are now gradually returning to a quiet, natural state. Reflecting on the efforts and hardships of those who once lived here, the team was reminded that their accumulated labor underpins our lives today as members of the Sumitomo Group. This prompted a strong sense of gratitude, alongside renewed resolve to honor their legacy through daily work.