3'jy h from Japan Part 2: The Wada Mineral Collection, Ikuno Mine, Roinbow Gornet, and Mineral Dealers in Japan JOHN RAKOVAN Department of Geology Miami University Oxford, Ohio 45056 [email protected]Pacific Ocean N 500 Kllomeisrs A Figure 1. Map of Japan, by William Besse. 350 ROCKS & MINERALS W ith the blossoming of the cherry trees {sakura) comes the blossoming of the tourist season, and Kyoto is swollen with visitors from all over Japan as well as abroad. A favorite activity for the locals is the holding of flower-viewing parties (o-hanami). People stake claim to a prime spot under the sakura and wait for days in anticipa- tion of the opening of the buds and the arrival of friends and colleagues. Often, o-hanami is about enjoying sake as much as the sakura. For a culture that is typically restrained in public displays of emotion, o-hanami is a chance to cut loose, resulting in frequent spontaneous singing and danc- ing. For everyone's well being, I saved my singing debut for the confines of a private karaoke room (one of the favorite pastimes of young people in Japan) on the day of our o- hanami party. Along with the ephemeral sakura, springtime in Japan also means the arrival of particular seasonal foods such as sansho {a Japanese spice related to the Szechwan pepper), sawara (Spanish mackerel), and especially takenoko (bam- boo shoots). Many stalls in food markets, such as Nishiki Market in Kyoto, have large displays of beautiful, freshly cut bamboo shoots. These can be used as an ingredient in countless recipes, but when fresh they are best enjoyed as an individual dish, such as boiled tender and covered with fresh sansho leaf and miso sauce {takenoko no kinome ae). The Wada Mineral Collection and Ikuno Ginzan In the early to mid-twentieth century four major mineral collections were assembled that today are considered to be the preeminent collections of Japanese minerals in Japan. These are the Wada (later to become part of the Mitsubishi collection), the Sakurai, the Ko, and the Wakabayashi col- lections. In late March I visited the Ikuno Mine and Mineral Museum where the Wada collection is displayed (33-5 Aza- Otani-Suji, Ono, Ikuno-Cho, Asago-Shi, Hyogo-Ken, 679- 3324, Japan). The Ikuno silver mine was first opened in 807, but large-scale operations did not begin until 1542, after the discovery of a particularly rich vein of silver. During the Meiji restoration in the mid-nineteenth century the Japanese government decided to learn and adopt Western mining technologies by bringing Western engineers and scientists to Japan. In 1868 Francois M. Coignet, a French mining engineer, was given the task of modernizing the operations Dr. John Rakovan, an executive editor of Rocks 8f Minerals and a professor of mineralogy and geochemistry at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is currently a visiting professor in the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan.
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3'jyhfrom JapanP a r t 2 : The Wada Mineral Collection,Ikuno Mine, Roinbow Gornet, and MineralDealers in Japan
JOHN RAKOVANDepartment of GeologyMiami UniversityOxford, Ohio [email protected]
Pacific
Ocean
N
500 Kllomeisrs AFigure 1. Map of Japan, by William Besse.
350 ROCKS & MINERALS
With the blossoming of the cherry trees {sakura)comes the blossoming of the tourist season, andKyoto is swollen with visitors from all over Japan as
well as abroad. A favorite activity for the locals is the holdingof flower-viewing parties (o-hanami). People stake claim toa prime spot under the sakura and wait for days in anticipa-tion of the opening of the buds and the arrival of friendsand colleagues. Often, o-hanami is about enjoying sake asmuch as the sakura. For a culture that is typically restrainedin public displays of emotion, o-hanami is a chance to cutloose, resulting in frequent spontaneous singing and danc-ing. For everyone's well being, I saved my singing debut forthe confines of a private karaoke room (one of the favoritepastimes of young people in Japan) on the day of our o-hanami party.
Along with the ephemeral sakura, springtime in Japanalso means the arrival of particular seasonal foods such assansho {a Japanese spice related to the Szechwan pepper),sawara (Spanish mackerel), and especially takenoko (bam-boo shoots). Many stalls in food markets, such as NishikiMarket in Kyoto, have large displays of beautiful, freshlycut bamboo shoots. These can be used as an ingredient incountless recipes, but when fresh they are best enjoyed as anindividual dish, such as boiled tender and covered with freshsansho leaf and miso sauce {takenoko no kinome ae).
The Wada Mineral Collection and Ikuno GinzanIn the early to mid-twentieth century four major mineral
collections were assembled that today are considered to bethe preeminent collections of Japanese minerals in Japan.These are the Wada (later to become part of the Mitsubishicollection), the Sakurai, the Ko, and the Wakabayashi col-lections.
In late March I visited the Ikuno Mine and MineralMuseum where the Wada collection is displayed (33-5 Aza-Otani-Suji, Ono, Ikuno-Cho, Asago-Shi, Hyogo-Ken, 679-3324, Japan). The Ikuno silver mine was first opened in 807,but large-scale operations did not begin until 1542, afterthe discovery of a particularly rich vein of silver. During theMeiji restoration in the mid-nineteenth century the Japanesegovernment decided to learn and adopt Western miningtechnologies by bringing Western engineers and scientiststo Japan. In 1868 Francois M. Coignet, a French miningengineer, was given the task of modernizing the operations
Dr. John Rakovan, an executive editor of Rocks 8f Mineralsand a professor of mineralogy and geochemistry at MiamiUniversity in Oxford, Ohio, is currently a visiting professor inthe Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies,Kyoto University, Japan.
Figure 2. Stibnite, Ichinokawa mine, Ehime Prefecture.Mitsubishi mineral coiiection, Ikuno Mineral Museum.Estimated specimen size 32 x 28 cm.
at the Ikuno mine. In 1896 the newly mechanized minewas sold to the Mitsubishi mining company and becameone of the pillars of what was to become the MitsubishiZaibatsu (mega-conglomerate, or literally translated "finan-cial clique"). It was operated by Mitsubishi, as one of thecountry's major metal mines, until its closure in 1973, end-ing a roughly twelve-hundred-year history of silver produc-tion. Today, the mine is preserved as a museum that includesthe Ikuno Mineral Museum; every year it draws about twohundred thousand visitors. There are also several halls thatexhibit mining memorabilia, artifacts and pictures from theIkuno mine, and a life-sized diorama exhibiting the stepsinvolved in the refining of silver ores. A large portion of themine itself is also open to visitors, and many undergroundexhibits showcase mining techniques, tools, and history (fig.4). The countryside around the mine is very scenic, evenboasting two waterfalls directly at the mine entrance (fig. 5).After visiting the museums and underground tunnels, a hikearound the area is a pleasant way to end what can easily bea full day in Ikuno.
The highlight of the trip was the Mineral Museum, whichdisplays much of the Mitsubishi mineral coiiection. Theformer collection of Tsunashiro Wada comprises the major-ity of this (with twelve hundred of Wada's specimens ondisplay), and what a fantastic collection! It is by far the finestassortment of Japanese minerals that I have seen and is simi-larly regarded by most mineral collectors and mineralogistsin Japan. I am particularly impressed by the quality (in termsof aesthetics and crystal perfection) of the specimens.
Ikuno is about ninety minutes by car from Kyoto. Thereis also a Japan Railways (JR) station in the town. If going bytrain, first go to the JR Himeji station, which is serviced by theShinkansen (bullet train) from most major cities on Honsha.Next, transfer to the JR Bantan Line and get off at Ikunostation. From there it is about 5 kilometers to the mine, buta local bus line will take you to the Kono bus stop; then it is
Figure 3. Partial view of the main display room, Ikuno MineralMuseum.
Figure 4. Underground display, Ikuno mine.
Figure 5. Main entrance to the Ikuno mine.
Volume 80, September/October 2005 351
Figure 6. Japan-law twinned quartz,Yamanashi Prefecture. Mitsubishi mineral colieciion,lkuno Mineral Museum. Estimated specimen length 26 cm.
Figure 7. Chalcopyrite, Hisaichi mine, Akita Prefecture.Mitsubishi mineral collection, lkuno Mineral Museum.Estimated crystal length 6 cm.
only a five-minute walk. It is well worth the effort to get tolkuno, for it showcases many of the best mineral specimensthat Japan has produced. The many excellent, huge stibnitesfrom the Ichinokawa mine are alone worth the trip. Evenafter three hours of viewing the specimens, I wanted severalhours more. Highlights of the collection are many, but someof the strengths are, as mentioned, the numerous large, finestibnites, not only from the Ichinokawa mine but also fromthe Nakase mine in Hyogo Prefecture, which are reminiscentof samples from Felsbbanya, Siebenburgen, Romania; largeJapan-law twinned quartz crystals, many of which are on
Figure 8. Topaz on feldspar with smoky quartz,Tanokamiyama, Shiga Prefecture. Mitsubishi min-eral collection, lkuno Mineral Museum. Estimatedtopaz crystal length 10 cm.
Figure 9. Amethyst, Ohara, Shiraishi, Miyagi Prefec-ture. Mitsubishi mineral collection, lkuno MineralMuseum. Estimated specimen height 10 cm.
352 ROCKS & MINERALS
Figure 10. Iridescent andradite, Kouse mine, Kitozumi, Tenkawa,Yoshino, Nara Prefecture. Shinicbi Kato specimens and photos.Top specimen 2 cm tall; bottom specimen 1.2 cm across.
matrix; tridymite crystals to I cm across on matrix; large,sharp feldspar crystals, many of which are twinned and incombination with smoky quartz; rhodochrosites in bothsharp rhombohedral crystals and botryoidal masses; large,gemmy topaz crystals, axinites, and some surprises such asamethyst crystals from Ohara, Shiraishi, that resemble thosefrom Guerrero, Mexico; linarite crystals to 5 cm in lengthfrom the Arakawa mine; sharp, lustrous hematites thatappear identical to those from Elba, Italy, and many others.
Tsunashiro Wada (1856-1920), after whom the mineralwadalite is named, is considered the father of modern min-eralogy in Japan. He was the first Western-trained miner-alogist, the first Japanese professor of mineralogy at TokyoUniversity, and the first director of the Geological Surveyof Japan; he also held many other seminal positions in the
development of the mineralogical and geological sciences inJapan, and he wrote the first book on Japanese minerals tobe translated into English (Wada 1904). After his death hiscollection of more than thirty-seven hundred specimens(representing 196 different species) was acquired by Mit-subishi Mining Corporation. An excellent source of infor-mation about Wada, the history of mineralogy in Japan,and especially Japanese minerals can be found in Nambu(1970).
Also part of the Mitsubishi mineral collection are severaldozen specimens from the collection of Shigesato Kinouchi(1724—1808). This is the oldest-known collection of miner-als in Japan, having been compiled more than two hundredyears ago. Kinouchi traveled all over Japan and amassed inexcess of two thousand mineral, rock, and fossil specimens,many of which were obviously chosen for crystal perfectionand aesthetics. He wrote the first book on Japanese minerals,Unkonshi, a pictorial catalogue of his findings with extensivetext. Unfortunately, most of the Kinouchi collection waslost after his death, but a small part made it into the handsof Wada and has thus been preserved in the Ikuno MineralMuseum.
A Web site for the mine and museum is at http://www.ikuno-ginzan.co.jp/. Although it is in Japanese the maps andfigures are usefiil, and some good information can be foundthrough the use of the Google translator (do a Google searchon the URL, and choose "translate this page").
Japanese Rainbow GarnetsAs was pointed out to me by U.S. collector/dealer Alfredo
Petrov, it is not often that a new mineral find in Japanproduces enough material to saturate the local market and"leak" to collectors abroad (the henmilites found a coupleof years ago being the most recent example). During sum-mer 2003 there was a discovery of iridescent andraditegarnets in the Kouse mine, Kitozumi, Tenkawa, Yoshino,Nara Prefecture. Iridescent garnets have been recovered inonly a few places including the Adelaide mining district inNevada, the Sierra Madre Mountains, and Sonora, Mexico.The Japanese "rainbow" garnets are found in an abandonedand overgrown skarn-hosted magnetite mine. Crystals arewell-formed dodecahedra {110} that exhibit varying degreesof iridescence both on their growth surfaces and internally(fig. 10). On 9 April of this year the Japan Geological Stud-ies Club (Chigakukenkyu-kai) and the Masutomi MineralMuseum hosted a trip to the deposit (fig. 11) and collectednumerous samples. Assessment of future specimen produc-tion is very good, and we should see these on the interna-tional market for some time to come.
Prof. Norimasa Shimobayashi of Kyoto University andhis colleagues have been investigating the origin of the iri-descence (Ohtaki et al. 2005), and a journal article of theirresults is forthcoming. To summarize, they have found thatthe garnets (which are close to end-member andradite:andradite96.0grossular3.3spessartine0.7) exhibit fine-scalecompositional layers that are oriented parallel to {110}. Twodifferent groups of layers based on thickness are observed by
Figure 12. Gold, Pelchan, Hokkaido, Japan. Mitsubishi mineralcollection, Ikuno Mineral Museum. Estimated width 4 cm.
transmission electron microscopy (TEM), one with widthsbetween 100 and 300 nanometers and the other with widthsaround 20 nanometers. Diffraction of visible light off ofthese layers is thought to cause the iridescent play of col-ors. The origin of the layers is hypothesized to be due toeither growth-related oscillatory zoning or exsolution aftergrowth.
Mineral Dealers in JapanA rough estimate of the number of established min-
eral/gem/fossil dealerships in Japan is fifty to seventy, onlyfifteen to twenty of which specialize in mineral specimens.
Figure 13. Stibnite, Ichinokawa mine, Ehime Prefecture.Mitsubishi mineral collection, Ikuno Mineral Museum.Estimated crystal length 30 cm.
Figure 14. Rhodochrosite, Oppu mine, Aomori Prefecture. Mit-subishi mineral collection, Ikuno Mineral Museum. Estimatedspecimen length 15 cm.
Figure 15. Axinite, Obira mine, Oita Prefecture. Mitsubishi min-eral collection, Ikuno Mineral Museum. Estimated specimenlength 18 cm.
354 ROCKS & MINERALS
Many of these restrict their business to Japan, and the bestplace to catch up with them is at the larger mineral shows,such as those in Osaka and Tokyo or at their local shops(see News from Japan, part 1, for locations in Kyoto). Twodealerships that are probably best known in the Americanand European mineral collecting communities are Key'sMinerals (Kiyoshi and Eriko Kiikuni) and Hori Mineral-ogy, Ltd. (Dr. Hidemichi Hori). Keys Minerals is locatedjust west of Osaka (12-24 Iwazono-cho, Ashiya-shi, Hyogo659-0013, Japan; phone +81-0797-35-0102, fax +81-797-35-0228; Web site http://www.keysminerals.com), and HoriMineralogy is located in downtown Tokyo about a twelve-minute walk from Nerima station (4-13-18 Toyotamanaka,Nerima, Tokyo, Japan 176-0013; Web site http://www.hori.co.jp/hori/top.htm).
Coming NextTo Westerners, Mount Fuji is one of the symbols most
associated with Japan. Several icons of Japan within thecountry are the cherry blossom, the pine tree (matsu), andthe melodic bush warbler (uguisu). We have become veryfamiliar with the latter and its beautiful song, which itstridently projects, especially around 4:30 in the morning.Thanks to our little friend, I have no fear that we will over-sleep and miss the mineral shows this season. At the end ofApril and in early June are the two largest mineral shows inJapan. These are held in Osaka and Tokyo, respectively. Inmy next installment of News from Japan, I will be reportingon them as well as on a visit to Kyushu University to see theKo collection and field trips to collect sakura ishi (see the lastNews from Japan) and rainbow garnets.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI would like to thank Mr, Masakazu Kikuchi of the lkuno
Ginzan for supplying the photographs of minerals from themuseum collection. Thanks also go to Shinichi Kato and TakashiFujiwara for their photographs of the iridescent garnets andfield site. 1 am grateful to AJfredo Petrov and Kiyoshi Kiikunifor their helpful reviews and comments and to Prof. OsamuTamada, Prof. Kazuhiko Ito, Keiko Kuzawa, Yukari Ito, NaoyukiKawame, and Hideki Kanazawa for their immense help as guidesand interpreters.
REFERENCESNambu, M. 1970. Introduction to Japanese minerals, ed. by editorial
committee for Introduction to Japanese Minerals organizingcommittee. International Mineralogical Association-Interna-tional Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits Meeting '70.Geological Survey of Japan.
Ohtaki, S., N. Shimobayashi, A. Miyake, M. Kitamura, Y. Seto, K.Tsuruta, and J. J. Sugimori. 2005. Iridescent andradite garnetfrom Tenkawa, Nara Prefecture, Japan. In Japan MineralogicatSociety Meeting Abstracts with Program.
Rakovan, J. 2005. News from Japan—Part 1: Kyoto mineral shops,the Masutomi Geology Museum, and cherry blossom stones.Rocks & Minerals 80:270-73.
Wada, T. 1904. Minerals of Japan. Translated by T. Ogawa. Tokyo.Q
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