- Culture
- Akita
Kosakamachi Meiji Hundred Years Street
Visit Meiji Hundred Years Street, home of Korakukan Theather and Kosaka Mine Office in Kosakamachi, Kazuno-gun, Akita Prefecture
In Kosaka Town, a mine was discovered in 1816, and many gold and silver were produced on a large scale development. At the height of the town’s prosperity, it boasted the second largest population in the prefecture after Akita City and modernization was promoted in a various ways. On Meiji Hundred Years Street, where contemporary buildings stand today, there are many Important Cultural Properties and Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.
Kosaka Mine Office
Built in 1905, Kosaka Mine Office is a living piece of cultural heritage from the golden age of Kosaka Mine, which once boasted the highest value of mining production in Japan. For almost a century, the building was used as an active office until 1997. It is a building of immense architectural value, with features that include a spiral staircase in the entrance hall. Dress rental also available in the hall and visitors can take a commemorative photo with the Western-style building as a background.
Korakukan Theater
Korakukan Theater is Japan’s oldest wooden playhouse, built in 1910 as a welfare facility for Kosaka Mine’s workers. A feature of Korakukan is its blending of Western and Japanese architectural styles. The exteriors are in a Western style, while the interior is typical of a Japanese-style playhouse.
Theater performances were abandoned for some years, but they were revived in 1986, and Korakukan is still used as an active theater today. In 2002, it was designated as a National Important Cultural Property. In Shochiku Grand Kabuki, which is held once a year, numerous Japan’s most famous kabuki actors have stepped on the Korakukan stage. Free guided tours of backstage, dressing rooms, and other facilities are available except during special performance.
Location
| Name | Kosaka Mine Office |
|---|---|
| Web Sites | http://www.town.kosaka.akita.jp/kokusai/index.html |
| Address | 48-2 Furudate, Kosakakozan, Kosaka-machi, Akita |
| Access | About 60 minutes by Shuhoku Bus from Odate Station on JR Ouhon Line |
| Business Hours | 9:00 to 17:00 |
| Inquiries | TEL:0186-29-5522 |
| Admission | Adults and Senior High School Students: 330 yen, Junior High School and Elementary School Students: 170 yen |
| Closed | 29 December to 3 January |