Iwami silver mine

Iwami Ginzan
	General information about the mine
	Entrance to the Ryūgenji-mabu shaft ( 龍源寺間歩 )
	Information about the mining company
Start of operation	1600
End of operation	1923
Successor use	UNESCO world heritage
	Funded raw materials
Degradation of	Silver ore
	Geographical location
Coordinates	35 ° 6 '49.6 " N , 132 ° 26' 43.2" E Coordinates: 35 ° 6 '49.6 " N , 132 ° 26' 43.2" E
	Location Iwami Ginzan
local community	Ōda
prefecture	Shimane Prefecture
Country	Japan

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The Iwami Silver Mine ( Japanese 石見銀山 , Iwami Ginzan) is a former silver mine in the Nima district (now the city of Ōda ) in Shimane Prefecture , Japan.

Overview

The mine was discovered back in the 14th century. In the 17th century, the deposits in the mountains Yōgai-san ( 要害山 ) and Sen-no-yama ( 仙ノ山 ) became the most important source of silver in Japan. From 1533 a new method of silver extraction was introduced from China via Korea, which increased the yield considerably. This led to armed conflict until the mine came under the control of the Mōri clan .

At the beginning of the 17th century, the mine came under the control of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which Ōkubo Nagayasu (1545-1613) appointed as the chief overseer. The mine produced around 1,488 tons of silver during this period. At the end of the 17th century, however, the yield decreased considerably, but by the beginning of the 18th century copper was also extracted.

In 1887 the mine came into the possession of a private company, the Fujita-Gumi (藤田組). She gave up the mine in 1923.

The mine (consisting of approx. 600 shafts and pits) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its cultural landscape since June 28, 2007 . The core area covered with 14 different sites (including the sites of former production sites, settlements, fortresses, graves, shrines, transport routes and ports) is 442 hectares. Some of the tunnels can be visited.

photos

Omori mine
Okubo mine
Okubo mine
Kamaya mine
Shimizudani refinery ruins
Silver piece

literature

S. Noma (Ed.): Iwami Silver Mine . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993. ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 641.

Web links

Commons : Iwami Silver Mine - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Information from Shimane Prefecture ( Memento of May 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )