Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
| Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape * | |
|---|---|
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| Country | Japan |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, v |
| Reference | 1246 |
| Region ** | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2007 (31st Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO |
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The Iwami Ginzan (石見銀山 “Silver Mountain of Iwami”) was a silver mine in the city of Ōda, Shimane Prefecture, on the main island of Honshū, Japan.[1] It was added to the World Heritage List in 2007.[2]
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[edit] Mine history
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. [3]
Silver from the mine was used widely for coins. 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. [3] It was later secured by fences and barricaded by pine trees. Yamabuki Castle was built in the centre of the complex. [3]
Silver production from the mine fell in the nineteenth century as it had trouble competing with mines elsewhere and it was eventually closed.
[edit] 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 Site. The bid succeeded in July 2007,[2] although an evaluation of the site by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOSMOS) produced no findings of "outstanding universal value."[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Lyman, Benjamin Smith. (1879). Geological Survey of Japan, p. 87.
- ^ a b "Iwami picked as World Heritage site,"The Yomiuri Shimbun. June 2007.
- ^ a b c UNESCO: "Historic Silver Mine of Iwami Ginzan."
- ^ UNESCO: ICOMOS evaluation of the property
[edit] References
- Lyman, Benjamin Smith. (1879). Geological Survey of Japan: Reports of Progress for 1878 and 1879. Tookei: Public Works Department. OCLC: 13342563
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 35°06′26″N 132°26′15″E / 35.10722°N 132.4375°E
