Aizu Jasper (Fukushima Prefecture) [Famous Japanese Stone]

AIZU Jasper

Aizu jasper

Date City, Fukushima Prefecture, where it is produced, is where the samurai Date clan first built their castle (Takakooka Castle).
After that, it became the Aizu Domain, famous for the Byakkotai, and became the territory of the Uesugi family.
The origin of the place name dates back to the time of Emperor Sujin, who reigned from 148 BC to 29 AD, when it appears in the Kojiki under the name "Aizu," and is said to be where Ohiko no Mikoto and his son, Takenunakawawake no Mikoto, met here.
The jasper mined here is mostly yellow, and although the yellow has a subdued hue, it is beautiful and not dull, making it comparable in beauty to Sado's Akaishi or Tsugaru Nishikiishi.
Jasper is yellow to orange in color because it contains less iron and is less oxidized than red stones from other regions.
There have been gold veins in this area since the Meiji period, and there were several mines, but they were abandoned during the Showa period.