摘要: Justification of Outstanding Universal Value　　The Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines have formed a cultural tradition based on an evolving set of mining-related technologies and mine

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

　　The Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines have formed a cultural tradition based on an evolving set of mining-related technologies and mine management system resulting from the constant introduction of mining techniques and technical expertise from both Japan and abroad and the development of them on Sado over the course of more than four hundred years. This tradition is preserved in the assemblage of archeological sites, historic structures, and mining towns and settlements that form the Sado Mines and constitutes extremely rare physical evidence that can no longer be found at other mines in the Asian region. In particular, the landscapes around the Nishimikawa alluvial gold deposits and the Dôyû-nowarito outcrop as well as the modern mining sites, among others, are an outstanding example of a technological ensemble representing each stage in the introduction and development of miningrelated technologies and mine management system from the early modern period to the modern period. In addition, a series of premodern mining-related technologies and mine management system ranging from mining to smelting—for example, methods for extracting gold from silver such as the haifuki cupellation method brought in from the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and the yakikin method as well as manufacturing-based operational formats such as the yoseseriba—were transformed and developed even further after the Meiji Restoration by the introduction on Sado of Western mining technology, which would have an impact on the development of mining not only in Japan but in the rest of Asia. Moreover, the gold coinage system manufactured at the Sado Mines formed an important basis for the socio-economic system of the Edo shogunate, and the gold produced here served to underpin the Japanese government from the Meiji period on; as a result, the Sado Mines also exerted an enormous influence on the international economy, which was based on the gold standard. For the reasons stated above, the Sado Mines have Outstanding Universal Value as a rare example of mining heritage not only in Japan but in all of Asia, and they constitute a significant property that exemplifies and is in conformity with the World Heritage List.

　　(ii) A series of premodern mining-related technologies and mine management system ranging from mining to smelting—for example, methods for extracting gold from silver such as the haifuki cupellation method brought in from China via the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and the yakikin method as well as manufacturing-based operational formats such as the yoseseriba— were developed at Sado and took root here and were disseminated from here to other mines throughout Japan. These premodern mining technologies and mine management system were transformed and further developed when Western mining technology was introduced at Sado after the Meiji Restoration. This not only spurred the development of mining in the rest of Japan but had an impact as well on the development of mining in East Asia. In addition, the gold coinage system manufactured at the Sado Mines formed an important foundation for the socio-economic system of the Edo shogunate, and the gold produced here also served to underpin the Japanese government from the Meiji period on; as a result, the Sado Mines exerted an enormous influence on the international economy, which was based on the gold standard. Consequently, the Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines has played a significant role not only from the perspective of the interchange of values related to mining technologies and mine management in East Asia but also from the perspective of exchange values in the world economy.

　　(iii) By introducing the very latest technologies from Japan and abroad, the Sado Mines served as the engine behind gold and silver production in Japan for more than four hundred years, and the series of mining technologies and mine management system developed there formed an important basis for the socio-economic systems of both the Edo shogunate and the Meiji government. The cultural tradition based on the mining technologies and mine management system that the constant introduction and development of mining techniques and technical expertise produced is abundantly exemplified in the preserved archeological sites and historic structures of the Sado Mines as well as in the mining towns and settlements that still exist. This tradition constitutes exceedingly rare physical evidence that can no longer be found in other mines in Asia. Consequently, the Sado complex of heritage mines is a rare survival of a cultural tradition related to Asian mining technology and mine management.

　　(iv) The landscapes formed by placer mining and surface mining around the Nishimikawa alluvial gold deposits and the Dôyû-no-warito outcrop as well as the group of modern mine sites represented by the ôtate shaft, the Kitazawa flotation plant, and the port of ôma are outstanding examples of a technological ensemble that represents each stage in the evolution of mining technology and mine management from the early modern period to the modern period. Consequently, this complex is an outstanding example that, taken as a whole, illustrates significant stages in human history in the area of mining technology during the early modern and modern periods.