Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse is a sightseeing facility in Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture, developed on the site of a historic gold mine. Visitors can explore former mining tunnels and learn about the history of gold mining, while also discovering the production and aging of shochu, a traditional Japanese distilled spirit.
What makes the facility particularly distinctive is that the former mine tunnels are not simply preserved as an industrial heritage site. They are also used for the actual production and long-term storage of shochu. Visitors can travel into the underground storage area aboard a dedicated mine cart and see how the underground environment is used in the aging process.
On the surface, the grounds include the restaurant Hotaru-an and the shop Kura no Nakamise. Visitors can enjoy a meal, browse shochu and related products, and explore the history of the mine.
One special feature is the opportunity to purchase shochu at the facility and have it stored in the underground cellar for a chosen period. This allows visitors to create their own commemorative bottle, which can be enjoyed on a special anniversary in the future.
The facility is also known for its sake brewing operation, described in the source article as the only sake brewery in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The main theme of Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse is “Gold and Shochu.” It introduces two important elements of Satsuma’s heritage: the gold mines that supported the regional economy from the late Edo period through the Meiji era, and a shochu-making tradition with a history of more than 500 years.
The facility reopened on April 23, 2005, under the management of Hamada Shuzo. In its first five years after reopening, it welcomed a cumulative total of one million visitors, becoming a popular destination for people interested in local history and traditional brewing.
Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse is made up of several areas, including the mine tour tunnels, a gold mine museum, a shochu brewery and storage cellar, and dining facilities. Visitors can learn about the history of the mine and the production of shochu while experiencing the local culture and surroundings.
The mine tour takes visitors into tunnels where gold was once extracted. The underground passages have been arranged to recreate the atmosphere of the former mining site, allowing visitors to gain an impression of the working conditions and techniques used by miners.
Guides provide explanations about the history of the gold mine and the methods used to extract gold. Walking through the tunnels offers a more direct understanding of the labor and skills involved in mining.
The gold mine museum introduces the history of the Satsuma gold mine through displays of mining tools, historical photographs, and other materials.
The exhibits provide insight into the lives of the people who worked in the mine and the conditions under which they carried out their labor. Visitors can also learn about the processes used to refine gold and the value of the precious metal.
The facility includes a shochu brewery where visitors can learn about the production process. Shochu is made using locally produced sweet potatoes, one of the important agricultural products of Kagoshima.
The brewery introduces the stages involved in making shochu, while the storage area shows how the spirit is kept and matured. A tasting corner is also provided, where visitors can sample shochu and experience its flavor.
One of the main attractions is the sightseeing tunnel, created by adapting the Nishiyama Tunnel of the Kushikino Mine for visitors.
The tunnel uses a mine-cart railway that was previously operated at Gold Park Kushikino. The original track extended for approximately 700 meters. The mine cart and its platform area were redesigned for the new facility, giving visitors a distinctive way to travel through the former mine.
Riding the small train into the underground passages is an exciting part of the visit. It also provides access to the areas used for shochu brewing and long-term storage, where visitors can discover how the old mining tunnels have been given a new purpose.
Part of the mine tunnel has been converted into a cellar for the long-term aging of shochu. The original spirit is stored in containers with a capacity of approximately 1,000 liters.
The underground storage environment offers a distinctive setting for keeping shochu over an extended period. Visitors can see how the former mining passages have been adapted for this specialized use.
The facility also offers a service known as Oazukari Shochu, or “Shochu Entrusted for Storage.” Customers can leave their shochu at the facility, together with a personal message, so that it can be kept underground until a chosen occasion.
This service began during the days of Gold Park Kushikino and continued after the establishment of Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse. It allows customers to create a personal commemorative bottle that can be retrieved and enjoyed at a later date.
Brewing equipment has also been installed inside the mine tunnels. Exhibitions introduce the traditional process of making shochu in ceramic jars, known as kame-jikomi, as well as other aspects of shochu production.
By combining the former mining tunnels with brewing and storage facilities, Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse connects the area’s industrial history with Kagoshima’s long-established shochu culture.
Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse uses a traditional brewing method known as donburi-jikomi, rather than the more common two-stage fermentation method.
In this process, water and yeast are added to rice koji, and sweet potatoes are introduced at the same time. This approach reflects an older style of shochu production passed down from the Edo period.
The facility has also reconstructed a traditional kabuto-kama-style still, a type of distillation equipment used before the modern era. This restored apparatus is used in the production of shochu made according to traditional methods.
By reviving older brewing and distillation techniques, the facility seeks to preserve the heritage of Satsuma shochu while continuing to produce the spirit.
In 2005, three women were newly appointed as toji, or master brewers. They took on the challenge of shochu production while bringing their own perspectives and sensibilities to the brewing process.
Their involvement was part of the facility’s effort to explore traditional brewing techniques and develop shochu with a distinctive character.
Several facilities are located across the grounds of Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse, providing places to eat, shop, and learn more about the former gold mine.
Hotaru-an is a dining facility located alongside a small stream. Its setting offers visitors a pleasant place to take a break and enjoy a meal during their visit.
Kura no Nakamise sells shochu and related products. Visitors can browse the selection and purchase items to take home as souvenirs or gifts.
The grounds also include an area for applying labels to shochu bottles and a tasting corner. These facilities allow visitors to explore the products and learn more about the finished spirits.
In front of the mine-cart platform, visitors can see historical materials and models related to the former Kushikino Gold Mine. These displays provide additional background before or after the underground tour.
The grounds once included a bathing facility called Toji-no-Yu, which used mineral spring water from the underground mine passages.
However, the bathing facility closed in June 2010 to make way for the construction of a full-scale brewing cellar. It is therefore part of the site’s history rather than a bathing facility to be included in a current visit.
In 2012, Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse began brewing Japanese sake under the brand name Sasshu Masamune.
This marked the return of sake brewing in Kagoshima Prefecture for the first time in 40 years, since 1972. The project was also intended to develop brewing knowledge and techniques that could be applied to shochu production.
To prepare for this undertaking, the brewery had been conducting training at breweries in the Chubu region of Japan since 1996. The training focused on subjects such as microorganism management and the control of the fermentation mash.
Two types of Sasshu Masamune are produced: a junmai sake with a rich flavor and a junmai ginjo sake with a fruity character. These products represent another aspect of the facility’s brewing activities beyond its traditional shochu production.
Remains from the former Kushikino Gold Mine can still be found in the mountains to the south of Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse.
These industrial remains extend along the route of the former mine railway toward the coast. They include the remains of a power station, drainage facilities, inclined railway equipment known as an incline, and tunnels.
These structures are preserved as industrial heritage, offering evidence of the mining and infrastructure that once supported the gold mine. They provide another way to appreciate the history of the area beyond the visitor facilities themselves.
Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse is located in Ichikikushikino City in western Kagoshima Prefecture.
From Kushikino Interchange on the Minamikyushu Expressway, take National Route 3 toward Sendai. The facility is approximately 10 minutes away by car.
The address is 13665 Noshita, Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture.
Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse offers a distinctive opportunity to explore two important parts of Kagoshima’s heritage in one place: the history of gold mining and the tradition of shochu brewing.
Visitors can travel through the former mine tunnels by a dedicated mine cart, learn about mining tools and techniques, and discover how the underground passages are now used for brewing and aging shochu. Traditional methods such as donburi-jikomi and the reconstructed kabuto-kama still provide a glimpse into older approaches to spirit production.
The facility also introduces the production of Japanese sake, the industrial remains of the former Kushikino Gold Mine, and the history of the region’s mining and brewing industries. With a restaurant, shop, and tasting area on the grounds, it offers more than a conventional museum visit.
For travelers interested in Kagoshima’s industrial history, traditional brewing culture, and the creative reuse of historic sites, Satsuma Kinzan Storehouse is a memorable destination.
10:00-17:00
Currently open only on weekends and holidays
Weekdays
Free admission
Kengdong Shochu Brewery and Cellar Tour
Adults 720 yen
Children 3-12 years old: 310 yen
By Car
10 minutes from JR Kushikino Station
From the Kushikino Interchange on the Minami-Kyushu Expressway, take National Route 3 toward Kawauchi (approx. 10 min.).
About 60 minutes from Kagoshima Airport
By Bus
From JR Kushikino Station, take a local bus bound for Kawauchi. Get off at “Noshita-guchi” bus stop. 5 minutes on foot.