This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
The Ani Mineoperating until 1986 in Kitaakita City, in the northern part of Akita Prefecture, bordering Iwate Prefectureone of Japan's leading copper mines,.
The Ani Mine, along with the Innai Silver Mine, supported the finances of the Kubota Domain
In the Tohoku region,Chūson-ji Temple's Golden Hall (Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture)andNambu ironware (Iwate Prefecture)gold, silver, and copper produced from nearby mines have been used since ancient times, as exemplified by
Many of the mines are located in the Ou Mountains, which form the watershed of the Tohoku region. The Ani Mine is also located within the Ou Mountains, which form the border between Akita and Iwate prefectures, and is surrounded by otherthe Osarizawa Mine (Kazuno City), the Innai Silver Mine (Yuzawa City), and the Kosaka Mine (Kosaka Town).
Ani Mine is the general name for several mines spread across the Ani region
The Ani Mine is a collective term for several mines that existed on both banks of the Ani River in the former Ani Town;"Ani Mine." Gold was first discovered in Ani during the Heian period, andJikaku Daishi Enninit is said to have been discovered bythe Itagizawa Gold Mine (later the Makizawa Copper Mine)was opened in the 13th century, but these are all legends and nothing is certain.
The existence of mines in the Ani area first appears in ancient documents from the Muromachi period. According to these documents, there were two mines, Itakizawa Gold Mine and Mukaiyama Silver Mine, on either side of the Ani River, and a large mining town had formed around them. These two mines were run by the powerful clans that ruled the area from the Muromachi period through the Sengoku period (Itakizawa Gold Mine = Takada clan, Mukaiyama Silver Mine = Matsuhashi clan). In the Edo period, after the Satake clan entered Akita in 1602, the mines came under direct management of the Kubota Domain (Akita Domain) from 1702 onwards
During the Edo period, the population of the Ani Mine area exceeded 10,000 people
The Ani Mine, directly managed by the Kubota Domain,of sixcopper mines known as the "Ani Six Mines": Ozawa Copper Mine, Sanmai Copper Mine, Kayakusa Copper Mine, Ichinomata Copper Mine, Ninomata Copper Mine, and Makisawa Copper Mine. In 1716, the Ani Mine became the top copper producer in Japan. At its peak, the population around the mine is said to have exceeded 10,000, indicating its prosperity. Along with the Innai Silver Mine, the Ani Mine supported the finances of the Kubota Domain.
The copper mined at the Ani Mine was considered important by the Edo Shogunate as a raw material for currency and as an export item to overseas markets. At its peak, it is said that almost half of the copper procured by the Shogunate came from the Ani Mine, making the Kubota Domain very wealthy
Hiraga Gennai works hard to improve mining technology
However, this prosperity did not last long. Around the 1750s, copper production at the Ani mine declined, and the Kubota domain, facing financial difficulties, was forced to implement measures such as frugality. Around 1770, they invited HiragaGennai (1728-1780), to work on improving mining technology. As a result, a smelting method for separating silver from copper produced at the Ani mine was perfected. In conjunction with this, they succeeded in revitalizing the Ani copper mine by entrusting its management to Osakaya, a private company skilled in mine development and management.
"Hired foreigners" from Europe and the United States promote the modernization of mining technology
The Meiji government embarked on reforming mining technology, which had previously relied solely on inefficient Japanese technology. As a result, in 1880 (Meiji 13),Adolf Meckel (Metzger)five European and American mining engineers, known as "foreign experts," including the German
Meckel planned to consolidate the ore produced at each of the Ani mines. He planned to transport ore from Sanmai Copper Mine, Makizawa Copper Mine, and other mines to Ozawa Copper Mine and centralize ore dressing and smelting to increase efficiency. He also laid railways from each mine to Ozawa Copper Mine and the smelter, and Meckel's plan was completed in 1884 (Meiji 17). As a result, the production volume of the Ani mine increased to approximately three times what it was at the end of the Edo period
The former residence hall for foreign engineers is a national important cultural property
In 1881 (Meiji 14), two residences were built for foreign engineers, including Meckel. Although they were brick buildings, which were rare at the time, Meckel's term ended in 1882 (Meiji 15), and he left the Ani Mine. The other foreign engineers also all left by the following year, so the buildings were only used as residences for four to five years. After that, they were repurposed as a mine office, a guesthouse, and accommodation facilities, but one of the two buildings was destroyed by fire in 1954 (Showa 29). The remaining building still exists and was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1990 (Heisei 2). It is now owned by Kitaakita City andthe "Ani Foreigners' Residence"is open to the public as
Furukawa Ichibei Collection: National Diet Library
in 1885 (Meiji 18)Ichibei Furukawa (1832-1903). Ichibei started managing the Kusakura Copper Mine (Kusakura-dozan, Kanose-machi, Niigata Prefecture, closed in 1914) in 1875 (Meiji 8) with the support of Eiichi Shibusawa (1840-1931), and in 1877 (Meiji 10) he acquired the Ashio Copper Mine (Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture) and grew his business. After that, he was involved in the management of many mines, including the Ashio Copper Mine (Tochigi Prefecture) and the Ani Mine, and became a mining magnate who formed the Furukawa zaibatsu centered around Furukawa Mining (now Furukawa Metal Machinery Co., Ltd.).
At the end of the Showa era, the mine was forced to close due to resource depletion
Even after management of the Ani Mine was transferred to Furukawa Mining, things did not go smoothly due to factors such as the depletion of ore veins and a drop in the global price of copper. From the latter half of the Meiji period to the early Showa period, most of the Ani Rokkayama mines were forced to close or be shut down
Nevertheless, in 1936 (Showa 11), the Aniai Line (now the Akita Inland Longitudinal Railway) was opened from Takanosu Station on the Ou Main Line (Kitaakita City) to Aniai Station, the nearest station to the Ani Mine. Furthermore, in 1938 (Showa 13), a new Ozawa Ore Dressing Plant was constructed, and the copper mine continued to operate. The remains of the Ozawa Ore Dressing Plant are one of the few remaining remnants of the Ani Mine that remain today
The Ozawa Ore Dressing Plant Ruins, the only remaining remains of the Ani Mine business
However, in July 1970, Furukawa Mining Co., Ltd. ceased production at the Ani Mine due to the depletion of ore sources. However, after production ceased, they continued exploration activities as the Ani Exploration Office, and as a result, they discovered several ore veins, leading toAni Mining Co., Ltd.and the resumption of mining. However, this operation also did not become profitable, and the mine was closed in September 1986, remaining in a state of suspension for a long time. After the closure, the mine facilities and safety measures are managed by the Ani Mine of Ashio Smelting Co., Ltd., a member of the Furukawa Group. *This section was made possible with the cooperation of the Public Relations & IR Section, Corporate Planning Department, Furukawa Metal Machinery Co., Ltd.
The former Ani Mine foreign official residence (Ani Ijinkan), built in the early Meiji period
Cultural property name: "Former Ani Mine Foreigners' Official Residence" "Ani Ijinkan"
The "Ani Foreigners' Residence"is the oldest Western-style building in Akita Prefecture, built in 1881 (Meiji 14). The building is said to have been designed by Meckel, who was appointed as the chief engineer at the time. Its features, such as the veranda, the staircase with its decorative railings, and the semicircular windows, were apparently a series of surprises for Japanese people who had only ever seen traditional Japanese architecture. It is also said that the bricks used for the exterior walls were fired locally at his instruction.
Ani Denshokan exhibits documents and mining tools from the Ani Mine
The "Ani Folklore Museum"isthe "Ani Foreigners' Residence,"and it collects and displays mineral specimens such as chalcopyrite (a raw material for copper) that was mined at the Ani mine, as well as pyrite, quartz, and other tools, and Edo period drawings. It also introducesas "Nekko Bangaku" (a nationally designated important intangible folk cultural property)Ani region. It is connected to the "Ani Foreigners' Residence" by an underground passage.
Facility name: Kitaakita City Ani Ijinkan, Kitaakita City Local Culture Preservation Museum
Address: 41-22 Shimoshinmachi, Ani Ginzan, Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture
Phone number: 0186-82-3658
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Admission fee: Adults 400 yen, high school, university and vocational school students 300 yen, elementary and junior high school students 200 yen (free for elementary and junior high school students in Kitaakita City)
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday), December 29th to January
My love of travel led me to work for a travel magazine some time ago, and now I work as a travel writer for an online publication. I have visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, focusing on the Tohoku region, and I enjoy soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture, including old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts
![matagi](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/matagi-150x150.jpg.webp "The "Matagi," master bear hunters who live in the mountains, originated in Kitaakita City, the home of the Ani Matagi! [Akita Prefecture]")
![Honkai Lion Dance Banraku Five Great Performances](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/0215ff7aa0e94eddc6dff8713d12e83b-150x150.jpg.webp ""Honkai Shishimai Banraku" is a folk performing art that has been preserved and passed down for 400 years [Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture]")
