Kosaka Town
Mitsuru Hosogoe

We will enhance the unvarnished appeal of the town

Kosaka Town has a long history as a mining town since the early Meiji period since the discovery of the Kosaka Mine in 1861. The electricity and water were early available in this town during the Meiji period, and education and medical institutions were enriched. In the Taisho period, it became the second most populous town in Akita prefecture. This is just a town that prospered with the benefits of mines. When I was a child, a festival called "Electricity Festival" used plenty of illuminations was held under the auspices of the mining company, and it was wonderfully gorgeous.
On the other hand, mining is an industry that has historically been considered to have high environmental burden. Here is no exception, too. The mountains in the area were once ruined by the smoke damage from factories and became bald for a long time. In my junior high school days, when I was in the school playground the taste like sickly sweet often spread in the back of my throat depending on the direction of the wind. "Now, (sulfurous acid) gas is falling," I understood even though I was a child. Kosaka Town has been walking with us in such a reality.
However, from around 1970 when I resigned my job as a bank clerk and returned to Kosaka, the greenery gradually returned to the mountains in the area. The acacia tree, which was continuously planted mainly by companies, became rooted. Around that time, there was a movement to utilize many ancient buildings, which fi nished their roles, in the townscape, and the mining industry also shifted from mining to recycling smelting, gradually nurturing the current appearance of the town.
Tourism may be a sector that is not yet clearly understood by the townspeople. Even for the mountains that have regained greenery and in the Meiji 100 years Street, the townspeople who are accustomed to seeing often do not notice the charm. That is why I think it is important to accept new migrants to the area and take advantage of external perspectives to increase the number of people who interact with each other. As if to support this trend, Lake Towada Hachimantai National Park was selected as one of the "National Park Enjoyment Projects" undertaken by the Ministry of the Environment in 2016 and creating an environment improvement and experience program for the post-Corona is currently underway.

Interviewed in April, 2022
Writer : Mikiko Tamaki / Photographer : Hiroyuki Tamura