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Beneath the Mountain: A Visit to Ashio Copper Mine

Copper, but Make It Personal

Copper and I go way back. I’ve hammered it, formed it, oxidised it and turned it into all sorts of jewellery so while I was in Japan, I took a trip into the mountains of Tochigi to visit the Ashio Copper Mine, once one of the country’s most productive copper mines (and now mostly famous for being slightly spooky and very photogenic). I wasn’t sure what to expect — but I definitely didn’t expect to enjoy the mine’s retro mannequins as much as I did.

Into the Mountain

The adventure starts with a little trolley train that rattles straight into the mountain via the Tsūdō shaft. One moment it’s a warm Autumn day, and the next, you’re plunged into a cool cave surrounded by odd looking mannequins who’ve seen better days.

Ashio Copper Mine sits in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture. Back in its heyday, it produced nearly half of Japan’s copper, powering industry, coinage, and a fair bit of pollution.

Records suggest copper-bearing ore was being worked in the region by the late 16th century, and by 1610 authorities of the Tokugawa regime granted mining rights. By 1613 it officially belonged to the shogunate.

At its height during the Edo period (1603 – 1868), the mine was producing around 1,300-1,500 tons of copper per year.

In 1877, the industrialist Ichibee Furukawa acquired the mine and introduced modern mining methods, tapping rich new veins and turning Ashio into Japan’s top copper producer. At one stage it accounted for as much as 40 % of Japan’s output.

Its network of tunnels eventually stretched some 1,234 km and climbed vertically about 1,000 m.

Whilst you can’t visit the whole network now it’s quiet, a museum built into the old shafts and chambers, with just enough atmosphere to make you wonder if those mannequins might move when you’re not looking.

Mannequins, Minerals, and Mild Unease

Inside, it’s a mix of science museum, time capsule, and ghost story. Mannequins of miners are frozen mid-swing with pickaxes, their plastic faces slightly cracked and faded — like extras from a 1970s disaster movie. It’s a mix of funny and creepy.

The deeper you go, the cooler the air gets, and eventually, you start to see hints of blue copper glinting in the rock. Those little flashes of ore are easy to miss, as there isn’t much left. It’s pretty much all mined out.

A Coin, a Connection

After we’d gone through the mine trying to decipher all the Japanese text with Google Translate doing the heavy lifting we exited through the gift shop…of course.

I left with a souvenir: a yen coin minted at the mine in 1741. It’s exactly the kind of thing I love — copper and full of history. As someone who spends most days shaping and heating the orange metal, it felt right to bring a piece of its story home.

Back outside, the sunlight felt almost too bright. The mountains around Ashio are slowly healing from the mining years, with green growth creeping back over the scars. It’s easy to see why the place has become something of a symbol for renewal — proof that even after the hardest work and the roughest years, things can grow again.

🧡Embrace texture and imperfection with these copper jewellery pieces 🧡

What I Took Home (Besides the Coin)

For me, visiting Ashio wasn’t just about seeing where copper came from. It was about connecting the dots between material and maker — between what’s mined and what’s made. When you step inside a mountain mine you can come back out seeing your own craft a little differently.

I also decided that another souvenir of my trip must be a tattoo to add to my steadily growing jewellery related selection. I had the symbol for copper tattooed on my arm underneath my diamond. And don’t worry, I checked it said copper!

Grit, Glow, and a Bit of Mannequin Mischief

Since coming home, I’ve been thinking about Ashio a lot — the cool tunnels, the echo of the train, the weird old mannequins. It reminded me that every piece of copper jewellery I make started as ore pulled from somewhere like that. There’s a long, hard history behind every bit of shine.