The are located 30 km south of Monbetsu

Monbetsu, Hokkaido

-External links:* *...

, Abashiri Subprefecture, Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, Japan (44° 23' North : 143° 22' East).
The initial discovery was in 1915 and from then until 1973, when the mine was closed, some 73 tons of gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 and more than 1200 tons of silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

 were produced by the Sumitomo group.
It was one of the richest gold mines in Japan and referred to as "the biggest goldmine in the Orient". At its peak in the 1940s, 13,000 miners, their families, and attendant merchants lived in the area.

See also

• Toi Gold Museum
  Toi Gold Museum
  The is a museum on the subject of gold mining in ancient and modern Japan, which is located next to the Toi gold mine in the city of Toi, Shizuoka, Japan....
  
  
• Toi gold mine
  Toi gold mine
  -Galleries:The galleries of the mine total about 100 kilometers in length, over a surface of 37 hectares, and go as deep as 180 meters below sea level. The area visible for tourism is about 350m long, and goes about 150 meters deep into mountain rock.-Legacy:...
  
  
• Japanese mining and energy resources (World War II)