When you approach the Ieshima archipelago in a boat, you will come across the impressive sight of
the steep cliffs looming before you.
On the Ieshima islands, two types of stones are quarried off the islands, granite and andesite.
The remains of the quarries have become a part of the island's scenery.
The main method of quarrying used on Ieshima is to set off an explosion to cut through the rocks.
At its peak, the industry boasted an annual production of 13 million cubic meters*.
The quarried stones are transported to the stone crushing factory where they are broken up to size
depending on the application and then shipped to mainly the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe and Sanyo areas.
These stones are transported using 32 tons trucks measuring 8.5m in length and 4.5m in height or
46 tons trucks measuring 9.4m in length and 4.4m in height.
By making use of our capabilities in moving the stones from the cutting factory to the Gatt ships
through the shortest route possible, we managed to reduce the cost and delivery time.
We can handle the entire process in-house within the island, from production to processing to
transport.
With abundant resources and competent technical skills, the sounds of explosions at the quarries can
still be heard reverberating today on the island.
* Ieshima Ship-owners' Cooperative survey
A history of more than a hundred years of quarrying has been left behind on the islands. Even now, quarrying is still being carried out on Tangashima
and Nishijima Islands.
On Tangashima Island near the entrance to the Ieshima Bay, the stone that is mined is mainly granite. With an excellent strength, the stone is made
up of particles that are most suitable for use as construction materials.
Andesite is mainly mined on Nishijima Island which boasts an annual production of 1 million tons.
In recent years, in order to conserve the natural environment, trees are planted to restore the scenery after the stones are quarried using the bench-cut
method.
An abundance of granite and andesite, which are most suitable for use as construction materials, can be found throughout the Ieshima archipelago.
We have continued to supply this resource freely through the years with only one desire in mind, and that is to "enrich the lives of people".
Abundance of stone supports the island industries