The Study of Mines in the Isle of Tsushima (対馬) in early modern Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number	10610330
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Japanese history
Research Institution	KOCHI UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	OGI Shinichirou Kochi University. Faculty of Humanities, and Economics. Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (60143070)
Project Period (FY)	1998 – 1999
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1999)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000) Fiscal Year 1999: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000) Fiscal Year 1998: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
Keywords	Mine / Tsushima-han / Sasu / Silver mine / Lead mine / Lead refining
Research Abstract	Tsushima, the isle to the north of Kyusyu Island, was famous for silver mines in ancient Japan. After its decline in the Middle Ages, Sasu mine was opened in 1650. Although the mine at its zenith yielded, with 4000 to 5000 miners employed, 75 to 110 kilograms of silver a month and 360 to 420 tons of lead a year, it was depleted as rapidly as it had grown and by 1667 the miners decreased to less than 1500. It was practically closed in 1737, while it had continually been re-developed throughout Modern period. There were also small silver mines, including Sago and Kin, the operation of which lasted only briefly. Mines in the Isle of Tsushima have adopted a distinctive method (in use of iron) of lead refinery, which can be found only a few mines out of Tsushima in Japan. A lot of miners flowed into the isle, while some of them stole a ship and fled away soon. I found some important facts about the migration of workers and the exchange of technologies. It is also an interesting case that, although most of lead produced in Tsushima was sold in Osaka, some amounts were temporarily sold in Nagasaki to the merchants of the Chinese ships ("Tousen"). The Isle of Tsushima has flourished owing to the trade with Chosen and a lot of exchanges of human resources, goods and technologies. We can find in Tsushima during the Edo ' period some peculiarities under the mining policy of Tsushjma-han as well as characteristics common to other mining societies in early modern Japan.