Yabase Oil Field - Yabase Yuden

This oil field is located in the western part of Akita City, along the east bank of the old Omono River. It is an area of ​​13 kilometers from north to south and 500 meters wide along the tributary Kusozu River. It began with the development of oil by Chigamo Zengoro, an oil merchant who was a patron of the Akita Domain, at the end of the Edo period. After the Akita Oil Research Association was established by the prefecture and local capital in 1902 (Meiji 35), full-scale development began with exploratory drilling in 1932 (Showa 7), and in 1935, a sudden large oil gushing occurred at a depth of 206 meters. At its peak in 1959-1960, it was the largest in the country, producing about 800 kiloliters of crude oil and 480,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day, but it has since declined rapidly. Most of the oil derricks that once lined the rice fields have disappeared, but as of 2014, some are still in operation.

[Tsuge Toshiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

秋田市西部、旧雄物(おもの)川東岸一帯に分布する油田。支流草生津川(くそうづがわ)沿いの南北13キロメートル、幅約500メートルの地域。江戸時代末期、秋田藩の御用油商人千蒲善五郎(ちがまぜんごろう)が石油開発したことに始まる。1902年（明治35）に県と地元資本による秋田石油調査会の設立を経て、本格的な開発は、1932年（昭和7）の試掘に始まり、1935年に深度206メートルで突如大噴油した。1959～1960年に最盛期を迎え、日産で原油が約800キロリットル、天然ガスが48万立方メートルと全国一であったが、以後急速に衰退した。水田に林立していた石油櫓(やぐら)もほとんど消滅したが、2014年段階稼動中。

［柘植敏朗］

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