明治40年足尾銅山で日本で初めての鉱山の暴動が起きました。日本でおそらく初めての官僚からの天下りが成されたのです。

当時の鉱業所長南禎三は、小滝の鉱毒予防工事の視察に来た官僚でした。彼は私腹を肥やしたばかりでなく、坑夫たちがサボると手当て減額方式を取ったのです。

それまで市兵衛は、坑夫たちが多少サボっても多めにみてきたのですが、南は厳しく罰を与えました。それでなくても苛酷な作業です。暴動は本山事務所を焼き討ちにしました。高崎連隊がようやく入ると治まりを見せ、南は命からがらに退散したようです。

再び鉱業所長に小田川全之氏が就任し掛水に新たな鉱業所が完成いたしました。

ORMER ASHIO COPPER MINING OFFICE 1908-1921　　

The first domestic mine riot took place at Ashio Copper Mine in 1908.  This is when the first case of the revolving door in Japan is considered to happen. 

Teizo Minami; The Chief Director of Mining Office at the time, was a former bureaucrat who came to inspect the mine poisoning prevention work in Kodaki.  Not only he lined his own pockets while being in the position, he also installed a system to reduce miners’ bonus when they sabotage their job. 

Ichibei　Furukawa, the former Chief director of mining office, was willing to overlook  miners’ work attitude considering how tough their job can be, however Minami punished them severely.  Miners burned down the Honzan office during the riot.  The　riot was suppressed by Takasaki Regimen pitd Minami barely escaped the area with his life. This is the first case of shuffling former government officer into private sector jobs.

Subsequently, Mr. Masayuki Odagawa became the chief director of the mining office again, and a new mining factory was completed in Kakemizu. The mining factory had a stylish building and it was relocated to Ashikaga City Hall in the Taisho era at the expense of Furukawa and used until the 1960s.