Shaft tower of remains in Shime, Fukuoka

Today I'll talk about a shaft tower of the former Shime coal mines (旧志免鉱業所竪坑櫓 Kyu-Shime-kogyo-sho Tatekou-yagura) in Shime, Fukuoka. We were visited there in August 11 before going back to home.

=Summary=
A 52.7m high shaft tower was completed in May 1943 that is a made of reinforced concrete buildings.
It has been carrying miners and coals to the Port of Hakata, and using a vertical tunnel to upload materials from the basement that is up to 430 meters underground.
It has a structure of which is said to be a winding tower, was equipped with the friction winding system there. In December 2009, it has been designated as important cultural properties of Japan by the government.

As a symbol of the old town of mine coals, the tower building is firmly standing in the heart of the town. Once the town was flourished by coal mine industries, it is often called as "the largest shaft tower in the East" because of friction using the fine coal and rich materials. The building symbolizes that a long-run state owned mining plant until the closure of mines in 1964.