● The History of Gold Mining

Michinoku’s gold collection derives from the gold panning in the Nara period. During the Sengoku period (about 700 years later), the technology to extract gold from ore was established, and gold mine development began in addition to gold panning. In order to manage the gold mines, those in power at the time, such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Date Masamune, dispatched the trustworthy servants to these mines as magistrates to issue a permit (Kinzan Gohonban) for collecting gold.

In the Meiji era, large-scale gold mine development progressed in various places due to the introduction of the latest technology such as excavators, and an unprecedented gold rush occurred in Japan. In particular, Shishiori Kinzan, located in the northern part of Kesennuma City, produced Japan’s largest natural gold “Monster Gold” in 1904 (Meiji 37) with a weight of 2.25 kg and a content of 83%.

“Monster Gold” was exhibited at the St. Louis World’s Fair held in the same year and surprised the world. The following year, under the influence of Kaori Kanayama, mining will begin at the Oya Mine in the hills in the southern part of Kesennuma City.

Around 1935 (Showa 10), when it was at its peak, it produced about 1 ton of gold annually, and the huge smelter became a nightless castle. A large mining town was formed in the surrounding area, and many employees and their families lived there. A local guide who lived in a mining town as a child said, “Everyone was jealous of the children in the mine because they had a lot of side dishes for lunch.”-This expresses the prosperity of the mine at that time, doesn’t it?

The two gold mines in Kesennuma have already closed and these places are usually covered in silence. But the many tools stored in the museum show the history of the gold collection, as well as the longing for gold and the bustle of the gold mines.