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Stibnite
In the modern day, the entrance to the Ichinokawa Mine looks like something out of a Ghibli film: the old stone arch that marked the adits are now grown over by moss, vines, and creeping flowers; the scenery around the mine is now nothing but a winding river and some forest a few miles away from the Shikoku shore, save for a small community center with an exhibition on the history of this mine. This quiet scene hides the very, very long history of mineral exploitation in this area: It was this very deposit that produced the antimony needed for the bronze casting of Nara's Great Buddha statue in the 8th century. Beyond that, it produced ore until 1962, although the most productive years of the mine were in the late 1800s. Most specimens these days are kept in museums, not just for its rarity and history, but also because the specimen-grade crystals found in Ichinokawa were absolutely massive: this very specimen, which consists mainly of just two parallel crystals, reaches a marvelous 25 centimeters tall.
Unknown Owner
Product details
Species
SizeLarge Cabinet
Dimensions8.0 x 25.0 x 5.0 cm
Locality
Ichinokawa Mine, Saijo City, Shaikoku Island, Japan
Added on06/14/2025
Known provenance
2025/03
Unknown Owner
$10,625.00—Species and Locality Wiki Pages
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