Toi Gold Mine (Izu)

 restaurant, museum, place with historical importance, souvenir shop, interesting place, gold mine

izu-sakuraya.jp/english/travelinfo/toigoldmine/index.ht...
www.toikinzan.com (Japanese)
TEL：0558-98-0800　
FAX：0558-98-1803

Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (Admission 9:00 to 16:30)
gold dust picking experience tickets sold until 15:50 (buy before the tour)
Open: daily (check ahead for any changes)
Tour time: about 30 minutes
Ticket: Adults 860 yen, children 430 yen

Small-scale gold mining is said to have started at Toi around 1370 during the period of the Ashikaga Bakufu. The gold mine was operated on a large scale from the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late 16th century. Several mines were open in 1577, but Tokugawa Ieyasu endeavored to their development from 1601. He put the exploitation of the mine under the responsibility of Gold Mine Minister (金山奉行) Ōkubo.

Toi was one of several goldmines of the Izu Peninsula, such as Yugashima or Nawaji, totaling about 60 gold mines in Izu alone. The gold and silver produced by these mines permitted the production of Tokugawa coinage, and allowed for the prosperity of the Tokugawa. The city of Toi itself became highly prosperous, with numerous trades flooding in to service the workers and the administration at the gold mine, so that Toi became known as "Toi Sengen" (土肥千軒, "Toi of the 1,000 shops").

The mine became less productive as it became flooded. Workers were killed because of the exhausting conditions due to seeping hot springs, and poor oxygen content of air, leading to the installation of water pumps and ventilators at numerous intervals.

In 1917, gold was again discovered at the mine, and exploitation continued under the company Toi Kinzan KK. In 1931, the mine entered Sumitomo Group, and passed under Toi Kōgyō KK in 1942. The mine was ultimately closed in 1965 and then reopened for tourism.