Historic Site Sado Kinzan Gold Mine

Doyu no Warito is a relic of opencast mining from the Edo Period (1603-1867), which is said to be a pit in the early stages of the development of Sado's gold and silver mines. As the digging went deeper and deeper to extract more gold ore, the mountaintop was split into a V-shape. The crack on the summit reaches approximately thirty metres in width and seventy-four metres in depth. The mountain with the crack holds a mother lode of gold, stretching about ten metres wide, called the Doyu Vein, and after the Meiji Period (1868-1912), large-scale development was carried out under the Warito.

Odate Tateko is the oldest Western-style shaft in Japan. German engineers and others started excavation of the Odate Tateko shaft in 1875, and it was sunk in 1877. Odate Tateko is vertical haulage with a lift. It is about 5.7 metres by 3.3 metres rectangular , and the final depth reaches 352 metres. The hoist was first operated by horse power, and later powered by, first steam, and then electric motors. Until it shut down in 1989, it had been the focal point for mining activities.

Inscribed with birthplace, posthumous Buddhist names, names and ages of twenty-eight mushukuknin, who worked as a drainage labourer and deceased underground in 1853, a gravestone stands in the middle of mountains. In the Edo Period, to secure labour at the gold mine, 1,800-some mushukunin were forced to come and work in a mine from Edo (present-day Tokyo), and Osaka and Nagasaki, both of which were under direct control of the Edo Shogunate. Mushukunin is people who do not have fixed address arrested under the Shogunate's public security measures. Due to the hard labour, mushukunin is said to have lived a short life.

Up the hill on Kyomachi Street in Aikawa, you will see an ivy-covered three-metre high concrete wall. Aikawa Detention House was opened as a branch of Niigata Prison in 1954, and was in use until 1972 when it was relocated in the Sawata area. Designated as Japan's Tangible Cultural Property, this is a wooden detention house still in existence, which is rarely found in Japan. Aikawa Detention House is open to the public and free of charge, so you can take a look around.

Kinzanjaya is an eatery located in the third car park of the historic site "Sado Gold Mine". You can enjoy lunch made from fresh seafood. Kinzan Soba (buckwheat noodles) topped with chewy mekabu seaweed, shrimp tempura and iwanori seaweed and gold dust is highly recommended. In addition, "Kinzan Curry" served in a shape of Doyu no Wareto (split mountain top of the gold mine), and "Special Kaisendon", are popular menu items among others.

This relaxing, tranquil restaurant was converted from the home of a mine captain on Aikawa's Kyomachi Street. Highlights include hand-kneaded soba noodles made from home-grown-and-ground buckwheat, soba croquettes, and soba shiruko (sweet red bean soup with soba dumplings). This restaurant is open on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays only.

Gashima Cinema is located on historical Kyomachi Street, which connects Sado Gold and Silver Mine with the Sado Commissioner's Office. This former residence of the Sado Gold Mine captain, built about 80 years ago, has been converted into a café while maintaining the ambiance of the olden days. A monthly featured film is shown daily, and a monthly book corner provides movie-related books. An old carbon arc film projector, which was once used at an actual movie theatre, is on display. This spot is perfect for a break on a stroll through history, in the old mining town of Aikawa.