Oil Mining and Refine System at Kanazu Oilfield

Kanichi Nakano first succeeded in manual drilling of an oil field (oil mining) in the Niitsu area in the oil fields of Niigata Prefecture, which are rare in Japan. He was instrumental in increasing Niitsu oil field oil production (mining and refining) and was known as the oil king of Japan. This oil field had a maximum production of 150,000 kiloliters/year in 1916. The Kanazu oil field, the last operating of the Niitsu oil fields, closed in 1996. Currently, an oil well with a driving mechanism providing “pumping power” as the core is being developed for exhibition as an “Oil Village Park.” In addition, at the informational facilities and the “World Museum of Oil,” one can more closely review the actual materials related to oil drilling (oil mining) in Japan.