The was one of the largest

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

mines in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The mine is located in

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

of northern

in the town of Kosaka,

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographi ...

. The mine had reserves amounting to 30 million tonnes of ore grading 2.84%

, 8.48% zinc, 1.1 million oz of gold and 177.3 million oz of silver.

History

In 1816, development of gold and silver deposits began under the

Nambu clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji of Kai Pr ...

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū ...

, with the mine under the control of the Fujita-gumi mining guild. After the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, in 1871, the mine was nationalized, and in 1873 the

foreign advisor Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

Curt Netto Curt Adolph Netto (August 21, 1847 – February 7, 1909) was a German metallurgist and educator. He is regarded as a precursor for the industrial utilization of aluminium. He was active in early Meiji period Japan. Biography Netto was born in ...

was recruited by the

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

was placed in charge of modernizing the mine. In 1884 the mine was privatized, and sold to the Fujita-gumi, which later became

Dowa Holdings is a Japanese nonferrous metals manufacturer. The company is a component of the Nikkei 225 stock index. History Fujita-gumi, the forerunner of DOWA, was established by three brothers from Yamaguchi prefecture in 1881. The brothers had persona ...

, one of the largest non-ferrous metals producers in Japan. Following 1901, improvements in smelting technology enabled the company to exploit its large deposits of “black ore” (a mixture of copper, zinc and lead). In order to attract workers to the remote location, the company built much of the local infrastructure, including apartments, a hospital, theatre, as well as a railroad to connect the town to the

Ou Main Line OU or Ou or ou may stand for: Universities United States * Oakland University in Oakland County, Michigan * Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama * Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia * Ohio University in Athens, Ohio * Olivet Universi ...

railway at

Ōdate is a city in Akita Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 67,865 in 31,433 households, and a population density of 75 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Ōdate is located in the mountains of norther ...

. By 1907, it was the largest producer of copper in Japan. However, local complains about air and water pollution from the smelter increased dramatically in the 1910s and 1920s, as was the case at the

Ashio Copper Mine The was a copper mine located in the town of Ashio, Tochigi (now part of the city of Nikkō, Tochigi), in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It was the site of Japan's first major pollution disaster in the 1880s and the scene of the 1907 ...

. Wilkening. Acid Rain Science and Politics in Japan. Page 62 Mining was interrupted during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

due to gradual depletion of the mineral deposits. However, a new vein was discovered in the 1960s, which allowed mining to resume until 1990.

Status

The

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

Kosaka Mine Headquarters and ''Korakukan

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

'' theatre have been designated Important Cultural Property in 2002. The mine itself is no longer an active mine, and its site is now occupied by Green Fill Kosaka, one of Japan's largest capacity private-sector final waste treatment disposal facilities

References

*Hunter, Janet. ''Institutional and Technological Change in Japan's Economy: Past and Present''. Routledge. (2112) *Norman. E. Herbert. ''Japan's Emergence as a Modern State''. UBC Press (2000), *Wilkening, Kenneth E. ''Acid Rain Science and Politics in Japan: A History of Knowledge and Action Towards Sustainability''. MIT Press, (2004),

External links

Modern Industrial Heritage

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosaka Mine Former mines in Japan Kosaka, Akita Lead and zinc mines in Japan Buildings and structures in Akita Prefecture Tourist attractions in Akita Prefecture Important Cultural Properties of Akita Prefecture