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Gold of Yamanashi
[ Daniela Kikuchi ]
How many of you knew that it was possible to find gold in Japanese soils? Who would have imagined that Japanese
people have known the existence of gold in their land since the Kofun Era (250-552) and used it for decorating various
objects?
I was not aware that in the Sengoku Era (Warring States Period, 1467-1603) countless gold and silver mines were in full
production; these gold and silver were used towards costs of wars and for rewarding the lord’s subordinates. I was also
surprised to learn that japan used to be the world’s largest silver producing country in the 16th century. It was a sharp
contrast to my precious belief that Japan lacks in non-renewable natural resources such as gold and silver.
Hoping to fill my knowledge gaps, I decided to make a trip to Minobu Town in Yamanashi Prefecture and visit one of the
many mines that used to be in full operation in the Sengoku Era.
The Yu-No-Oku Museum of Gold Mining History
The gorgeous poster with
golden Fujisan on black
background
immediately
grabbed my attention; the
poster was captivating and
powerful. This poster is how I
came
to
know
about
Yu-No-Oku Museum of Gold
Mining History.
Misuzu Komatsu, a researcher
and a curator of the museum
proudly said that Yu-No-Oku Museum is very unique; it
is relatively easy to find information about mining of Edo
Era (1603-1868), but Yu-No-Oku Museum is the only
place in Japan that provides information regarding
mining of Sengoku Era. You can learn about Japanese life
style and history of gold from 500 years ago through
various resources such as video, diorama, and models.
Gorgeous Museum poster
I strongly recommend you the guided tour the museum
offers. It is an amazing opportunity to learn about history
of gold in more details. Through my tour guide, I was
able to learn many things I otherwise would have not
known. For example, while Ms. Komatsu, my tour guide,
was pointing her finger to an enormous rock, she said
“nowadays, if we are lucky, we may be able to find 2 to 3
grams of gold in a ton of rock. This is just enough to make
one 18k ring. Compared to the Golden Age when the
miners could find more than 100 grams, this is an
extremely small amount.”
climb the mountain to find gold, we have to walk this
corridor to learn about mining,” explained Ms. Komatsu.
While walking through the corridor, make sure to keep
an eye on the corridor wall; there are pieces of gold from
the local gold mines on the wall, and they shine
beautifully with illumination.
The museum tour continued on to watching a video and
observing diorama and models, which helped me to
understand precise techniques and arduous labor process
of gold mining. I was astonished to learn that miners, in
order to get gold, used to live in small villages at an
altitude of 1, 600 meters and had to climb and descend
roughly 200 meters with heavy rocks on their backs.
The museum guided
tour and the corridor
wall with the pieces
of gold on it.
The guided tour started with walking through a long
corridor to reach the 2nd floor. “Just as the miners had to
The Yamanashi Grapevine 10
corridor to reach the 2nd floor. “Just as the miners had to climb the
mountain to find gold, we have to walk this corridor to learn about
mining,” explained Ms. Komatsu. While walking through the
corridor, make sure to keep an eye on the corridor wall; there are
pieces of gold from the local gold mines on the wall, and they shine
beautifully with illumination.
The museum tour continued on to watching a
video and observing diorama and models,
which helped me to understand precise
techniques and arduous labor process of gold
mining. I was astonished to learn that miners,
in order to get gold, used to live in small
villages at an altitude of 1, 600 meters and had
to climb and descend roughly 200 meters with
heavy rocks on their backs.
The museum has a lot of
attractions such as models
and real mining tools of that time.
Experience Gold Panning! Let’s Try Our Luck!
Our panning master, Ms. Komatsu, took time to walk us
through the steps. “Take the shallow plastic pan and use it to
scoop up the sand lying at the bottom of the water tank.
Hold the pan by the top of the edge with both hands just
slightly under the water, and then swirl it. Keep swirling,
and let the sand flow out; the gold flakes will then sink to the
bottom of the pan because they are denser than the sand.”
Ms. Komatsu kept the pan in water and started to move it in
a large, circular motion, and the sand started flowing out.
She continued swirling until most of the sand flowed out,
and we started seeing something shiny on the bottom of the
pan: it was flakes of gold! I was astonished. Before I could
calm my excitement, Ms. Komatsu gave me her pan and said
“it is your turn! Try your best and good luck!”
At first, I tried to imitate Ms. Komatsu’s movement, but I
could not make a big enough swirl because I was too afraid
to lose the precious gold flakes. Then, Ms. Komatsu said
“Daniela, don’t be afraid to swirl your pan and flow the sand
out. You won’t lose any gold flakes! Remember that gold is
denser, so it will stay in the pan,” I got better and better after
Access map
Kofu Station
Ms. Komatsu took time to walk us through the steps.
each attempt. Even though it was my first time gold
panning, I was able to get 12 flakes in 30 minutes.
I was so focused on trying to get the gold flakes that
nothing could distract me. Every time I found a flake of
gold I felt so happy, which made me want to find more and
more. This sensation until thrill led me to understand why
the miners tried to keep the mine locations a secret. It also
made me able to empathize with people losing their minds
over gold mining as a way to become rich fast.
Minobu Line
40 min.
Shimobe Onsen Station
We tried to copy Ms. Komatsu’s mining style.
11 The Yamanashi Grapevine