The Former Kosaka Mine Office
The Former Kosaka Mine Office (旧小坂鉱山事務所) is a 3-storey timber mine office built in 1905 in Kosaka Town, Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on May 23, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Fujita-gumi partnership built it as the headquarters of its Kosaka Mine, and the design is attributed to Kitayuguchi Yūtarō (北湯口勇太郎) of the office's own engineering department.
The Agency notes that the Former Kosaka Mine Office was moved about 500 metres south of its original site to preserve it. Kosaka Town dates the relocation and restoration to April 2001, and the building now serves as a mining museum.
A Courtyard Plan on a Sloping Site
The Former Kosaka Mine Office is built around a central courtyard, with rooms and corridors on all four sides. It rises 3 storeys at the front and 2 at the sides: the levels and the shape of the plan were worked out to suit a stepped site and to bring in daylight (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The building area is 753.57 square metres.
The front sets a wooden veranda porch into Renaissance-style walls finished in Shikkui lime plaster, an arrangement the Agency calls rare. Kosaka Machizukuri Co., which runs the museum, points to the 3 dormer windows on the roof and the sash windows capped with triangular pediments, and says most of the timber is natural Akita cedar.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency values the Former Kosaka Mine Office for its planning and design, which show how far Japanese building engineers of the late Meiji era had mastered Western-style architecture. It is also one of very few full-scale office buildings to survive from Japan's modern mines.
What to Look For
Step into the entrance hall and the spiral staircase climbs through all 3 floors of the Kosaka Mine Office. A single Akita cedar trunk forms its central post, and the handrail winds up in a slow curve (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.). Look straight up from the bottom to see the rails of 3 floors stacked above you.
The balcony porch at the centre of the front is screened with openwork carving, often called Islamic in style, and the name Fujita-gumi is worked into the pattern. From the first-floor balcony you can try to pick out the characters (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.).
On the top floor is the director's office, once open only to a handful of senior staff, and the corridors facing the courtyard are lit by wide windows. Displays cover the relocation, a large aerial photograph of the mining town and Meiji-era equipment such as the mine's power station and electric tramway (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.; Kosaka Town).
Visiting the Former Kosaka Mine Office
The Former Kosaka Mine Office is open as a museum. Between April 1 and October 31 it opens 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.); between November 1 and March 31, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last entry 3:30 p.m.). It closes December 27 to January 4, and on Tuesdays between December and March (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.).
Admission is 380 yen for adults and high school students and 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students. A guided tour of about 30 minutes costs an extra 150 yen per person and must be booked. Wheelchair users and visitors who need the lift should ask at the ground-floor desk, and the building is non-smoking throughout (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.). A costume room lets visitors rent period dress for photographs for a fee. Directions to the town are on the Former Kosaka Mine page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Kosaka Mine Office built, and when was it designated?
- It was built in 1905 and designated an Important Cultural Property on May 23, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed the Former Kosaka Mine Office?
- The design is attributed to Kitayuguchi Yūtarō of the mine office's engineering department (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Former Kosaka Mine Office, and what are the hours and fees?
- Yes. It opens 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from April to October and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from November to March; admission is 380 yen for adults and 200 yen for children (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.).
- Where is the spiral staircase in the Former Kosaka Mine Office?
- In the entrance hall; it winds around a single Akita cedar post through all 3 floors (Kosaka Machizukuri Co.).
- Has the Former Kosaka Mine Office always stood on this site?
- No. It was moved about 500 metres south of its original site; Kosaka Town dates the relocation to April 2001.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kosaka Mine Office (旧小坂鉱山事務所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 48-2 Furudate, Kosaka Kozan, Kosaka Town, Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 2002/05/23 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 3 storeys at the front and 2 at the sides, building area 753.57 m² |
| Owner | Kosaka Town |
| Public Access | Open as a museum (admission charged) |
References
- Former Kosaka Mine Office (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/3718
- Kosaka Mine Office: the building (Kosaka Machizukuri Co., Japanese)
- https://kosaka-mco.com/pages/46/
- Kosaka Mine Office: history and chronology (Kosaka Machizukuri Co., Japanese)
- https://kosaka-mco.com/pages/89/
- Kosaka Mine Office: admission and opening hours (Kosaka Machizukuri Co., Japanese)
- https://kosaka-mco.com/pages/92/
- Meiji Hyakunen-dori, the mining town streetscape (Kosaka Town, Japanese)
- https://www.town.kosaka.akita.jp/machinososhiki/kankosangyoka/kankoshokohan/3/kosakakankouspot/1661.html
Last verified: 2026.11.08
