Abstract
Japanese metal mining industry was generally on the decline at the last days of the feudal age, but recovered during the industrial revolution in Meiji era. How did the regional structure of old mining pattern in the feudal age change in the progress of industrial revolution? The purpose of this article is to tackle this question.
1. In order to recover mining production which had declind as the result of the limitation of exploitation techniques of minerals in the last days of the feudal age, the excavation of drainage level and main ore-hauling alit at the lowest level were the basic problems. Of course, these problems depended on the mordernization of mining management and the adaptation of new mining techniques.
2. By excavation of the main adit, the old mining pattern brought about a basic change in its regional structure. The alit mouth was opened toward the valley at the level lower than the old mine mouth. And the mills of ore dressing and smelting, and the quarters of mining management and laborers concentrated in the neighborhood of the adit mouth.
3. The results of these basic changes were as follows ; (1) Area of mining pattern was expanded (such as Besshi, Omori, Yoshioka, and Innai, etc). (2) Readjustments were seen inside the area of old mining pattern (such as Osarusawa, Ikuno, Yamagano, and Ashio, etc). (3) But, some had no basic changes (such as Ani, Kamioka, and Sado, etc).
4. The difference of their responses to the basic change was mainly due to the physical conditions, such as the distribution of ore deposits and topographical aspect in the mining regions.
5. It is one of the purposes of the writer to offer a fundamental question in the study of economic geography in regard to Japanese metal mining pattern.
