The mine was located at an altitude of 900 meters on the slopes of Mt. Hachimantai in the northwestern part of the prefecture.
Its ore deposit consisting of four ore bodies had a diameter of 1,500 meters with a maximum thickness of 150 meters, which was referred to as the largest in the East.
Washichi Sasaki, a local villager, discovered a sulfur outcrop in 1882 and applied for an exploration permit together with his elder brother Wasuke six years later.
Subsequently, mining rights were transferred several times, and the mine was operated on a small scale under the name of Yoriki Sulfur Mine and later Iwate Sulfur Mine in the early 20th century.
Masuda General Partnership, a trading company in Yokohama, acquired the rights in 1913 and identified rich sulfur reserves through mineral exploration.
Thereupon, the company established Matsuo Mining Co., Ltd. in the following year and initiated mine devlopment.
The mine increased its production due to a rise in demand for sulfur with the development of the chemical industry, and its output held the first place in the country from 1922.
The company began pyrite mining in 1921 and sold its concentrate to sulfuric acid plants.
Additionally, the company developed overseas sales channels in the first half of the 20th century.
As a result, products were exported, namely, refined sulfur from Yokohama Port to Australia and New Zealand, and pyrite from Hachinohe Port to Korea and Manchuria under Japanese rule at that time.
Under such circumstances, production decreased from 1941 due to a cave-in accident killing 82 miners in 1939, successive fires, air raids, and a labor shortage.
After the war, production multiplied owing to industrial policies, special procurements during the Korean War, and the development of the chemical industry.
The rapidly grown mine produced 1,009,926 tonnes of crude ore, 635,936 tonnes of pyrite, and 79,499 tonnes of refined sulfur in 1956.
Around the same time, demand for sulfur products declined due to a downturn in the chemical fiber industry, and as a result, the mine later streamlined its operations.
In 1966 and 1967, the mine produced over one million tonnes of crude ore again, reaching its peak.
However, in addition to overproduction and trade liberalization, the distribution of sulfur recovered from petroleum refining later exacerbated the mine's decline and led to its closure.
The remains of apartment houses built in 1951 can still be seen today.
Motoyama area was developed into a production base, and numerous mining facilities, such as beneficiation plants, refineries, and ore storage facilities, were built beside the opencast mining sites.
Four aerial tramways, each with a length of 3.6 kilometers, run parallel between Motoyama and Yashikidai, which was located at the base of the mine, transporting products, production materials, and daily necessities.
Yashikidai area was developed into a shipment base, and an dedicated railway line was laid to connect Obuke Station on the JNR Hanawa Line with a distance of 12.2 kilometers.
Later, the railway line also began operations for carriage of passengers as a local line in 1948.
The number of employees totaled 4,897 in 1952, and mining towns at Motoyama and Yashikidai had a total population of 15,000.
Motoyama, located on the heights, had 11 apartment houses made of reinforced concrete, 390 row houses, an elementary school, a junior high school, a part-time high school, a hospital, a post office, a theater, and others.
Its appearance was like that of a mining city.
松尾鉱業の創設以降、およそ 2,900 万 t の鉱石が採掘され、1,000 万 t の硫酸原料と 210 万 t の硫黄が生産されました。坑道の標高差は 245 m に及び、総延長は 255 km に達しました。
The mine produced 29 million tonnes of ore, 10 million tonnes of raw material for sulfuric acid, and 2.1 million tonnes of sulfur after the foundation of Matsuo Mining Co., Ltd.
The mine tunnels have a difference of elevation of 245 meters and a total length of 255 kilometers.
Midorigaoka Apartment Houses were built with reinforced concrete in 1951 and were provided with modern conveniences, such as a steam heating system and flushing toilets.
They became a symbol of prosperity of the mining city, which was praised as a "Paradise above the Clouds".
A large amount of highly acidic drainage flowed into the Akagawa River, flowing near the mine, and contaminated the main stream of the Kitakami River.
After the mine closure, the nation and the prefecture built a neutralization treatment facility, and its operation has been continuing.