Archives

Tsuchihata Mine

The mine was situated in the middle reaches of the Konigase River, which flows near the border with Akita Prefecture, and it produced copper ore from the early 20th century. In 1900, Iwajiro Terui, a local villager, discovered an outcrop at Mt. Hatabira, and Kyuemon Fukuda from Kanezawa Town applied for a prospecting permit for gold and silver ores. Subsequently, Yoshiaki Hamamoto, a businessman from Tokyo, and another purchased the mining rights in 1903 and commenced gold extraction using the amalgamation and cyanidation processes. Although Yugawa Gold Mine Company was established three years later and conducted exploration in conjunction with the excavation of Ogiri Adit, operations yielded poor results and were suspended. In the early 20th century, the First World War caused a rise in demand for copper. Under such circumstances, Ken-ichiro Takahashi, a local villager, began contract mining in 1915 and discovered a copper ore deposit in old workings. Thereupon, the mine was renamed Tsuchihata Mine, and the mined ore was sold to other parties. The following year, Tanaka Mining Co., Ltd., later Itohei Corporation, acquired the mining rights and commenced mine development, which included the introduction of rock drills and the construction of aerial tramways, beneficiation plants, and a power plant. In 1925, a flotation plant was completed, which led to a significant increase in production. In the peak year of 1929, the mine produced 132,786 tonnes of crude ore and 17,407 tonnes of copper concentrate, and the number of miners totaled 558. Furthermore, the development of Uenono deposit commenced in 1933, and the annual production of crude ore exceeded 200,000 tonnes over the following five years. After the war, declining production gradually recovered due to the purchase of Okinasawa Mine, the introduction of new mining methods, and the expansion of haulage equipment. As a result, the mine's production was revived in the late 1950s. A mining town built in Yugawa, where a hot spring emerges, had a population of approximately 3,000, comprising employees and their families. The town was equipped with numerous welfare facilities, including miners' houses, dormitories, company bathhouses, a lecture hall, a shop, a clinic, and a gymnasium. Although the mine was closed due to resource depletion in 1976, wastewater treatment and the recovery of cement copper were continued. Ten years later, the operations were shifted to newly established Tsuchihata Mine Co., Ltd. The remains of the beneficiation plant still stand on the mountainside.

closure in 1976