Columbus Headed for " the Island of Gold,Jipang " Seeking Deposits:Exploration Technologies Past and Present Hishikari,a Gold Rush in Japan Modernized Underground Factory changed the Image of Mines Gold Find in Alaska

There is a saying: "Mining is the mother of technology." Indeed, Watt's steam locomotive, the driving force of the industrial revolution in Great Britain, was invented to fill the need for a power source for draining mines. Japan too, was once a world-class producer of nonferrous metal resources. The technology developed in the mines supported industry and livelihoods at various times throughout the country's history and, today, is proving its worth overseas.

Columbus Headed for " the Island of Gold,Jipang "

"We must go west. If we keep going,we 'll definitely arrive in India." On the eve of departure,,Christopher Columbus spoke with conviction to several dozen crew members standing before him with anxious expressions on their faces.What drove him to this great adventure? The Book of Marco Polo,which was much talked about at the time. Columbus was fascinated by the fantastic"golden island " described in the book,,where the roofs, ceilings,and floors of palaces were supposed to be lined with pure gold. Columbus longed to see this for himself. Three caravel ships (light three-mast sailing ships) awaited departure in Palos harbor,southern Spain,at dawn on August 3,1492. The Santa Maria, which Columbus boarded, would be followed by the Nina and the Pinta. The people seeing them off whispered to each other that the admiral was taking the sailors to Hell,so perilous was the voyage into the unknown. This departure,however, proved to be a historic one that spearheaded the age of great sea explorers. On his difficult voyage, Columbus crossed the Atlantic in two months and arrived at what we now call the West Indies. But he was convinced that he had reached India,and searched frantically for the "golden island of Jipang " which was supposed to be nearby. Columbus seems to have been unaware of his great discovery of a new continent. What about the voyage of Marco Polo,who inspired Columbus?Born the son of a tradesman in Venice,Italy,he embarked on a journey to the Orient with his father and uncle at the age of 17. This too was a tremendous adventure in those days. They arrived in China after three and a half years,and stayed for 17 years serving Kublai Khan. Twenty-four years had passed by the time they returned to their homeland. The Book of Marco Polo was published in 1299. The source of his description of the "golden island of Jipang " was probably rumors about a neighboring country that he heard during his stay in China. Japan at the time saw the flowering of the golden culture of Ohshu-Hiraizumi, evinced by the Golden-Colored Hall of Chusonji Temple: at the time,much gold dust was being produced mainly in the Japan 's northeast,the Tohoku region. Historical records from the second half of the 1500s to the second half of the 1800s show that Japan was one of the world 's leading mining producers:Gold production during the 50 years to 1600 totaled 100 tonnes,quite a record for a period when the world was barely producing 10 tonnes annually. How about silver? Over 300 years starting in the second half of the 1500s,Japan produced an estimated 7,700 tonnes. From the second half of the 19th century onwards,it produced 35,000 tonnes;this accounts for 4%of contemporary world production. In the second half of the 16th century,copper mining development began in earnest all over Japan,which became the leading world producer in 1697. Copper exports via Nagasaki alone totaled 5,340 tonnes per annum around that time.