Below, a rubbing of one of the lead ingots produced by the mining operations at Sado.  Lead was a by-product of the silver refining.

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Once a year, the refined gold and silver was transported shipped to Honshu and then put on pack animals and carried to Edo (Tokyo).    

The Tokugawas operated gold and silver mines on Sado Island.  Refining of the gold and silver ores was also done there.  Descriptions of the operation can be found in numerous picture scrolls, and in Gowland's article in Transactions of the Proceedings of the Japan Society, Vol. 13, 1915, pp. 19-100.

Sluicing operation as depicted in a 19th century AD picture scroll (emaki).

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Crushing the gold and silver ore at Sado Island.  From a 19th century AD picture scroll.