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The was an underground silver mine in the city of Ōda, in Shimane Prefecture on the main island of Honshu, Japan.〔Lyman, Benjamin Smith. (1879). ( ''Geological Survey of Japan,'' p. 87. )〕 It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. It was active for almost four hundred years, from its discovery in 1526 to its closing in 1923. The mines, mining structures, and surrounding cultural landscape — listed as the "Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape" — became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.〔("Iwami picked as World Heritage site," )''The Yomiuri Shimbun.'' June 2007.〕 ==History== The mine was discovered and developed in 1526 by Kamiya Jutei, a Japanese merchant. It reached its peak production in the early 1600s, with approximately 38 tons of silver a year which was then one third of the world's production.〔UNESCO: ("Historic Silver Mine of Iwami Ginzan." )〕 Silver from the mine was used widely for coins in Japan. It was contested fiercely by warlords 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 center of the mining complex.〔 Silver production from the mine fell in the 19th century, as it had trouble competing with mines elsewhere in the world. Mining for other minerals, such as copper, then replaced silver as the predominant material produced from the mountain. The mine was eventually closed in 1923. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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