Wakamatsu was a coal loading port in the Meiji era.
Rumor has it that longshoremen who loaded coal at the port were called “Gonzo” and they would work from dawn to dusk covered in soot.
I muttered to myself, “Wow, that’s cool.”

When my family and I arrived in Wakamatsu for my new job, we stared out at the heaps of coal piled up at the port as they were loaded onto ships.

It was easy to find my boss, the man on the port who looked and smelled exactly how you’d expect a coal worker to-- covered in soot and wreaking of sweat. I thought I better get used to this-- this is the smell of Wakamatsu.

“Thank you for the opportunity to work here.”
My wife, son, and I all quietly bowed our heads in unison to my new boss. To our surprise, instead of bowing back, he started to laugh instead.
“You’re going to be covered in black soot-like me soon enough! Eat well today, and let’s start work tomorrow.”
Without another word he turned around and got back to his work.
“Dad…”

My poor boy looked up at me with anxious and hungry eyes. I wasn’t able to provide enough for my family before, but this changes now. I’ll be the best longshoreman that I can be and feed my family as they deserve. This is the dream of Wakamatsu.

The former Furukawa Mining Wakamatsu Building built in the Taisho era stands out in Wakamatsu with its 19th-century European design.

While the surrounding landscape has more or less modernized throughout the years, the Mining building is one of the few places locals wanted to keep intact in “memory of the coal.”
The building’s interior has been completely remodeled with beautifully plastered walls. They even have a safe from that time that’s so strong it wouldn’t even break in a fire.

Wakamatsu was a port of culture. Foreign ships would come and go, locals would set up shops selling beef steak and fried shrimp, while others would entertain the visitors with geisha shows. Wakamatsu’s geisha were particularly sophisticated in those days and went through painstaking efforts to make themselves beautiful. It was common for people to gift kimonos to their favorite geisha from one of the kimono stores. There were also shops selling traditional Japanese instruments like koto and shamisen in the same area.

Not many towns could say they hosted such a cultured crowd right alongside soot-covered coal workers-- but that was Wakamatsu.
The former Furukawa Mining Wakamatsu Building is a source of pride for the city and the locals take part in preserving it.
They did this by collecting donations-- something the people of Wakamatsu take very seriously. They don’t just give the bare minimum-- they donate whatever amount is needed for the cause they’re focusing on, whether it be preserving the Furukawa building or some humanitarian cause.

Even back in the Meiji era, the people of Wakamatsu managed to fund water purification plans with donations instead of tax money. It’s in their culture to preserve history, and thanks to them there are many relics like museums, public halls, sailors’ homes, nurseries, and parks that remain to this day.
“I was raised by Wakamatsu.”

Such a feeling of gratitude lives in the hearts of all the inhabitants.
Nearby is the former Gonzo or Longshoremen Shed where the workers were stationed. The juxtaposition of the two buildings-- the grandeur of the gorgeous Furukawa building alongside the simple shed, the symbol of manual labor, couldn’t be more different, and yet something ties them together.

The history of Japan lies in Wakamatsu.