Doyu-no-Warito Opencut Site
The symbol of the Sado Gold Mine, shaped by the massive mining work that once took place here.
This is the Doyu-no-warito Opencut Site, which has been featured in pictorial maps and picture scrolls dating back to the Edo period. It is a remnant of the large-scale surface mining site that once took place here and has become a symbol of the Sado Gold Mine. A massive gold vein called the Doyu Vein was located in the center of the 256 meter high Mt. Doyu. The vein was 10 meters wide and was mined by hand, starting at the peak where the gold ore was exposed. The process split the mountain in two, as you can see. Due to the hardness of the gold ore, miners could only extract the gold and silver veins, leaving the rest of the mountain untouched. This created a V-shaped Chasm, later known as the Doyu-no-warito Opencut Site. The V-shaped split is 74 meters deep and 30 meters wide.
When did they start digging gold there?
The Doyu Vein was discovered in 1601 by three mine proprietors from the Tsurushi Silver Mine, an earlier developed site. It is the oldest mining area. Surface mining of an almost vertical cliff is a rare occurrence in the world. During the Meiji era, excavation continued on an even larger scale with the use of machinery and dynamite. Excavations continued until 1989.
Information
The Doyu-no-warito Open Cut is a representative surface mining site of the Sado Gold and Silver Mine. It was mined for a long time from the early Edo period to 1989 in search of a roughly 10-meter-wide lode enriched with gold and silver called Doyu-myaku Vein. The height of the mountain is 252 meters above sea level and the cleft at the summit is 30 meters in breadth and 74 meters in depth.
Experience AR
Let's go there and experience it for ourselves!
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Facility Basic Information
| Address | Aikawa Ginzan-machi, Sado, Niigata |
|---|---|
| Transport Access | Take the local bus from Kirarium Sado to the “Kinzan-jaya Mae” stop (approx. 10 min), then walk to the site (approx. 20 min). You may also drive from Kirarium Sado (approx. 10 min). |
| Parking | Kinzan Third Parking: Free of charge / Holds up to 170 cars / Closed during night |
| TEL | 0259-74-2215 (Kirarium Sado: 8:30 AM – 5 PM) |
| Website | https://www.visitsado.com/en/spot/detail0094/ |
Whoa! The mountain is split right in two!