# Anti-Zombie Fortress

Anti-Zombie Fortress is the nickname Reddit gave to the Shime coal mine's winding tower in Fukuoka, Japan, after user Mitsjol posted its photo to /r/pics on April 1, 2011[1]. Commenters flooded the thread with Photoshop edits picking apart structural flaws and sketching their own undead-proof upgrades. Within a day, a follow-up thread, Minecraft replicas, and a mobile anti-zombie fortress design sent the joke onto the Reddit front page[3].

## Origin
On April 1, 2011, Reddit user Mitsjol submitted a photo of the Shime coal mine to /r/pics with the title "This would make an awesome anti-zombie fortress"[1]. The thread drew hundreds of comments within hours as users debated whether the shaft tower could really hold off a horde and started posting their own edited versions. In similar spirit to earlier Reddit conceptual jokes like Rocket Propelled Chainsaw and Chinese Gundam, the discussion stayed playful and iterative[6].

The building itself, formally called the Winding Tower of the Shime coal mine, was erected between 1941 and 1943, operated for 21 years, and was shut down in 1961[2]. It stands 47.65 meters tall and is one of only three winding tower mine shafts still standing in Japan. The Japanese government designated the site a national cultural heritage property in July 2007 and reclassified it as an "important cultural property" in December 2009, which is why it is still well-preserved and reachable by public transit[2].

- **Platform:** Reddit (/r/pics)
- **Creator:** Mitsjol (Reddit, earliest known poster)
- **Date:** 2011

## Overview
At its core, Anti-Zombie Fortress is a conceptual joke format on Reddit where a photo of a strange or defensible structure gets reframed as hypothetical shelter against a zombie outbreak[1]. The original post centered on the Shime coal mine's winding tower, a reinforced concrete shaft head rising nearly 48 meters out of flat ground in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan[2]. Its narrow footprint, few openings, and sheer vertical walls read like a defender's dream, which is what prompted the half-serious title.

Commenters typically respond with Photoshop edits that annotate weak points, add moats, drawbridges, or sniper nests, and work out food and water logistics for a long siege[1]. Minecraft players rebuilt the shaft tower block for block, and later threads one-upped the original with wilder designs, including a mobile anti-zombie fortress on tank treads[3]. The tone is engineering-nerd humor layered over zombie fiction tropes, not fear.

## How to Use
A typical Anti-Zombie Fortress post pairs a photo of a lonely tower, bunker, offshore platform, or odd piece of industrial architecture with a caption claiming it would survive a zombie siege. Replies often include annotated edits that mark weak spots, propose extensions such as walls or drawbridges, or recreate the structure in Minecraft[3]. The common convention is to argue the structure's merits on practical grounds, food storage, line of sight, water source, before someone points out it has no toilet.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Anti-Zombie Fortress?
It is the Reddit nickname for the Shime coal mine's winding tower in Fukuoka, Japan, applied after a /r/pics post called it an ideal shelter against a zombie outbreak[1].

### Where did Anti-Zombie Fortress come from?
Reddit user Mitsjol posted a photo of the Shime coal mine to /r/pics on April 1, 2011, titling it "This would make an awesome anti-zombie fortress"[1].

### What does Anti-Zombie Fortress mean?
It refers to the tall, narrow concrete shaft tower of the former Shime coal mine, which Reddit users joked would be nearly impossible for zombies to breach[6].

### How do you use Anti-Zombie Fortress?
People use the phrase on photos of oddly defensible buildings and respond with Photoshop edits, structural critiques, or Minecraft rebuilds of the structure[3].

### Is Anti-Zombie Fortress still popular?
The format is a classic Reddit conceptual joke from 2011 and still resurfaces on survival-themed subreddits whenever a photo of a lonely tower or bunker goes up[1].

## References
1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ggcno/this_would_make_an_awesome_antizombie_fortress/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ggcno/this_would_make_an_awesome_antizombie_fortress/>)
2. [https://abandonedkansai.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/shime-coal-mine/](<https://abandonedkansai.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/shime-coal-mine/>)
3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Stx3PRXDE](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Stx3PRXDE>)
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/anti-zombie-fortress](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/anti-zombie-fortress>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/anti-zombie-fortress
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