[ 1 ]  [ 2 ]  [ 3 ]  [ 4 ]  [ 5 ]  [ 6 ]  [ 7 ]

Large volume of silver was mined from the sixteenth to the seventeenth centuries, and was used to fund the military reserves of the warring daimyo leaders and the economy of the Shogunate government. Because the Iwami-Ginzan Silver Mine was located in the village of Sama, the silver became known as "Soma silver." Large volumes of silver were exported abroad, helping to join through trade the Asian countries of China and Korea with European countries of Portugal and Spain. The annual production rate at the first half of the seventeenth century was estimated to be approximately 38 tons. This comprised a major portion of Japan's silver production, which amounted to nearly one-third of the world's silver production at the time.  In 1568, Portuguese cartographer Fernan Buez Dohrade drew the "Map of Japan" in Goa, India. While the shape of the island, pictured like a shrimp, lacks accuracy, an area in Western Japan most likely to be Iwami is indicated in Portuguese R:ASMINAS DA PRATA = Silver Mine Kingdom." This tells us that the existence of Iwami-Ginzan Silver Mine was already known in Europe by that time. This map is currently in the possession of the ducal family of Alba.  Francis Xavier, who brought Christianity to Japan, wrote in a letter, "The Castillians call this island (Japan) 'Silver Island' cThis Silver Island is the only one of its kind that has been discovered." (Letter dated April 8, 1552, sent from Goa, India to Father Simon Rodriguez of Portugal) From this letter we know that Japan was one of the major silver producers of the time.  Other foreign literature gives us evidence that large volume of Japanese silver traveled overseas. The entries in the Chosen Chusho Jitsuroku tell us that "the Chinese from Fujian headed for Japan to buy silver found themselves in Korea as they were swept off course by wind." The writings from the voyages of Frederici report that "the boats originally headed for China filled with spices from the South Sea Islands of Malabar and medicine from Cambaia, India, later would travel to Japan for their primary purpose of collecting silver, acquiring the name 'silver ships.'"

[ 1 ] | [ 3 ]