Sado-shima is a large island north of the large provincial capital of Niigata . Sado Kinzan its gold and silver mine is its most notable feature. It was the largest gold mine in all of Japan for nearly a thousand years and was at its pinnacle one of the largest gold mines in the world. At its peak it was able to produce around 800Kg of gold and 35 tons of silver annually.

It was a source of wealth that directly translated into power for various samurai clans that controlled it throughout the centuries. In the Sengoku (warring states) period it fell under the pervue of a powerful warlord who used it to raise armies to conquer his neighbors. It was also instrumental in the Meiji period that saw Japan transform from a closed, feudal society to a modern advanced nation. The Sado mines lasted right up to 1989 before finally closing. Let's take a quick look.

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