Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
Encyclopedia
The was a silver
mine
in the city of Ōda
, Shimane Prefecture
, on the main island of Honshū
, Japan
. It was added to the World Heritage List in 2007.
It was developed in 1526 by Kamiya Jutei a Japanese merchant. It reached its peak production in the early 17th century of approximately 38 tons of silver a year which was then a third of world production.
Silver from the mine was used widely for coins
. It was contested fiercely by warlord
s until the Tokugawa Shogunate
won control of it in 1600 as a result of the Battle of Sekigahara
in 1600. It was later secured by fences and barricaded by pine trees. Yamabuki Castle
was built in the centre of the complex.
Silver production from the mine fell in the nineteenth century as it had trouble competing with mines elsewhere and it was eventually closed.
. The bid succeeded in July 2007, although an evaluation of the site by the International Council on Monuments and Sites
(ICOSMOS
) produced no findings of "outstanding universal value."
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the city of Ōda
Oda, Shimane
is a city located in Shimane, Japan.As of April 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 40,614 and the density of 90.2 persons per km². The total area is 436.11 km²...
, Shimane Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
, on the main island of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was added to the World Heritage List in 2007.
Mine history
Silver from the mine was used widely for coins
COinS
ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
. It was contested fiercely by warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
s until the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
won control of it in 1600 as a result of the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
in 1600. It was later secured by fences and barricaded by pine trees. Yamabuki Castle
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
was built in the centre of the complex.
Silver production from the mine fell in the nineteenth century as it had trouble competing with mines elsewhere and it was eventually closed.
Heritage site
Parts of the mining town remain in good condition and the Japanese Government has designated it as a Special Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings. The government also applied for it to become a World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. The bid succeeded in July 2007, although an evaluation of the site by the International Council on Monuments and Sites
International Council on Monuments and Sites
The International Council on Monuments and Sites is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world...
(ICOSMOS
International Council on Monuments and Sites
The International Council on Monuments and Sites is a professional association that works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places around the world...
) produced no findings of "outstanding universal value."
See also
- Tourism in JapanTourism in JapanTourism in Japan attracted 8.3 million foreign visitors in 2008, slightly more than Singapore and Ireland. Japan has 16 World Heritage Sites, including Himeji Castle and Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto . Kyoto receives over 30 million tourists annually...
- List of World Heritage Sites in Japan