About Sado Gold Mine

Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine is said to have been founded in 1601 by three mountain masters.

In 1603, the Sado Magistrate's Office was established under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, and the production of gold coins was also carried out, supporting the finances of the Edo shogunate.

In 1869 (Meiji 2), it became a government-owned Sado mine, and Western engineers were invited to mechanize and modernize the mine.

In 1889 (Meiji 22), it became the property of the Imperial Household under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Agency's Imperial Household Agency, contributing to the modernization of Japanese industry as a model mine.

After that, in 1896 (Meiji 29), it was sold to Mitsubishi Joint Stock Company at that time, and it expanded and developed as Japan's largest gold and silver mine.

In March 1989, unfortunately, operations were suspended due to resource depletion, and the long history of mining that had lasted nearly400 years came to an end.

Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine stretched 3,000m from east to west, 600m from north to south, and 800m deep. Pursuing this gold mine, 78 tons of gold and 2,330 tons of silver were produced in 388 years from Edo to Heisei, making it the largest gold and silver mine in Japan. The excavated tunnel spreads out like an ant's nest, with a total length of about 400km (between Sado and Tokyo).