The mine is located on the upper reaches of the Kaji River in the northeastern part of the prefecture and produced iron ore from the late 20th century.
According to tradition, Toemon Abe, a villager in Takiya Village, began mining at Sudachizawa in the 1780s.
In the mine, copper ore was produced by several mining operators until the end of the 19th century.
In 1893, Tadayoshi Murakami, from a Samurai family in Nagasaki, and another filed an application for creation of mining rights for iron ore.
After the mining rights were transferred several times, Mitsubishi Limited Partnership acquired the rights and expanded mining areas in 1898.
The State-Owned Yawata Steel Works purchased the rights the following year and initiated a large-scale mine development later.
However, the development was suspended twice due to the effects of mineral resources from Daye Iron Mine in Qing China and the recession after the war.
In 1934, the Japan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. was established under national policy and took over the mine management.
Subsequently, the increased demand for iron and steel caused by the Second Sino-Japanese War led to the initiation of the third development in 1938.
The following year, the company separated its mining division and transferred the mine management to newly formed Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd.
Thereafter, the mine development progressed, and full-scale operations commenced in 1941, 40th year from the initial development.
At its peak in 1944, the mine held 1,025 employees and produced 99,578 tonnes of refined iron ore.
Concurrently, a total of six hundred Korean and Chinese laborers were employed under forced conditions.
Although shipments stopped every winter due to heavy snowfall in the area, after the war, the company completed countermeasure works and enabled year-round operation.
As a result, the annual production greatly increased from about 30,000 tonnes to twice that amount.
Despite beginning copper ore production in 1960, the management declined later due to a decrease in resources and a fall in the price of metals.
Thereupon, the company experimented with entering new business fields including crushed stone production, mineral fertilizer manufacturing, and limestone mining.
In 1975, Akatani Mining Station became independent as Akatani Kosan Co., Ltd. and shifted main products to limestone, ensuring the continuance of the mine.
The remains of the exclusive railway line laid along the valley can be found on the mountainside even now.
Although an exclusive railway line was laid between Shibata and Sudachisawa in the second development, the development was suspended again.
Later, part of the railway line was transferred to the then Railway Bureau in response to requests from the locals.
As a result, the JNR Akatani Line began its service in 1925 and connected Shibata and Akatani.
In time with the opening of the mine in 1941, the Akatani Line was extended to Higashi-Akatani Station, and a newly constructed exclusive railway line connected the station and Akatani-Testuzan Station in Sodegamidaira.
In 1957, the company completed a tunnel connecting Kotosawa and Bawarisawa as well as the construction of an electrified exclusive railway line, enabling year-round operation.
At the beginning of the development, related facilities, such as a mining office, an ore storage facility, row houses for miners, and a company bathhouse, were built in Sodegamidaira.
Later, many of the facilities were moved to Kunigadaira, and Higashi-Akatani Station and surrounding area were bustling.
袖上平地区 Sodegamidaira area
国ヶ平地区 Kunigadaira area
The Remains Photographed in Abandoned Akatani Mine
The mine had five groups of ore deposits, namely, Bawarisawa, Sudachizawa, Mizunashizawa, Kagokubozawa, and Genpeinosu, on the left bank of the Kaji River.
The iron ore of the mine consisted of micaceous hematite.
The hematite, referred to as "Kirahaku", was used as a decorative material for Japanese sliding partitions called "Fusuma" and mud walls.
Akatani Kosan Co., Ltd. produced calcium carbonate from limestone and sold it for use in paving applications.
Additionally, iron ore was produced until 1987 and was sold as raw material for use in various applications, such as ferroalloy, pigments, and specially designed fertilizers.