Nichitsu Mining Village a ghost town located in Saitama, Japan. Originally built to accommodate workers of the nearby Chichibu mine, which is still operational today.
The mine that gave rise to the Nichitsu Mining Village, was established by the Takeda family, descendants of Genji Takeda, a samurai from the late Heian period (794 to 1185), to the Sengoku period (1467 to 1603), when the area was discovered to be rich in gold deposits.
In 1910, Yanase Industry Corporation purchased the mine from the Takeda family, and expanded the operations to facilitate the extraction of iron ore.
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Nichitsu Mining Village a ghost town located in Saitama, Japan. Originally built to accommodate workers of the nearby Chichibu mine, which is still operational today.
The mine that gave rise to the Nichitsu Mining Village, was established by the Takeda family, descendants of Genji Takeda, a samurai from the late Heian period (794 to 1185), to the Sengoku period (1467 to 1603), when the area was discovered to be rich in gold deposits.
In 1910, Yanase Industry Corporation purchased the mine from the Takeda family, and expanded the operations to facilitate the extraction of iron ore.
in 1937, Nichitsu Resources Development Division purchased the mine, and three years later, operations were scaled up and expanded to include zinc and magnetite, mining 500,000 tons a year at its peak. In 1950, the Nichitsu Mining Industry Corporation was established.
In the golden years of the operation, a fully functional community village was constructed which included accommodation, general store, school, doctor, dentist, auditorium, and even a fire department. At its peak, the population of the village reached 2000 people.
In 1978, mining in Chichibu of all metals ceased, although the existing mining operation continues to produce limestone and quartz sand to the present day, with workers commuting from nearby towns. Read less
