Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine - Influence To Economy

Influence To Economy

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine played a pivotal role in East Asian trade, where silver was the key currency. In Europe and China, the mine had been known as the largest silver mine that could compare with the Cerro Rico in Potosí (now the World Heritage Site in Bolivia).

In foreign countries, because the silver mined at Iwami Ginzan was very high quality, it came to be known as one of the Japanese brand of silver called "Soma Silver". The name derived from the village of Sama (Soma) in which the mine was. This silver was given the highest trading credit in East Asia. From 17th century, the silver coin made of the silver of the mine had been traded as not only one of the basic currencies in Japan but also as the currency in the trade with China, Portugal and the Netherlands. (Portugal had traded with Japan from late 16th century. Netherlands had traded with Japan from 17th century.)

The prosperity of the mine can be known that it was indicated in the maps at the time as the "Silver Mine Kingdom". With the progress of navigation, the monarchs of Western Europe had gotten a lot of maps imported from the Muslim world and had made their own maps. The fleet with the maps came to India, China and Japan to trade goods and get the silver mined. The feudal lords who governed the mine traded with these countries actively.