Ashio famous copper mine.

Ashio there is a famous copper mine town.

According to the record, the copper mine was discovered in the 16th century.

Furukawa Ichibei comes to do mine development in 1877, and it is after that an Ashio copper mine became famous.

The Ashio copper mine modernized with many new technologies.

There was became a much volume of production in the Orient in 1893.

However, pollution became the problem with production to increase.

The sulfurous acid gas killed all the trees of the mountain.

In addition, drainage including the heavy metal caused the water pollution of the lower basin and soil pollution of the farmland.

The problem of the drainage was able to be settled in 1897.

The measures of the sulfurous acid gas were very difficult and have taken it until 1956.

The Ashio copper mine was closed in 1973.

More than 38,000 people worked by most time, but the current population is 2,800.

Country,prefecture, Furukawa and a lot of volunteers plant it with trees now.

Green gradually returned to the mountain.