Database: Ikuno Mines

While there are no historical records on the establishment of the Ikuno silver mine in the province of Tajima, a chronicle from the late 17th century mentions that operations at the mine began in 1542. In 1556, the daimyō of Tajima, Yamana Suketoyo, offered approximately 7.5kg of silver to the emperor, indicating that silver production had increased under his authority. Oda Nobunaga claimed the region in 1569, but his control over the mines was not secure until 1580, when he granted them as a reward to Hashiba Hideyoshi who captured Miki Castle and forced Bessho Nagaharu to commit suicide.

It is difficult to visualize the mine and the town from that period due to the lack of historical documentation and archeological research undertaken in the region. Nevertheless, we can assume some similarities based on the excavation findings at the Iwami silver mine, as it has been reported that locals learned how to smelt and other mining techniques from the engineers of Iwami who visited Ikuno. It is likely that silver lode was first discovered on the surface and mined by open pit before drifts were dug into the earth. There was likely a mineral crusher in the area, a wash basin to separate the ore powder from the gangue powder, and a workshop where the mineral was melted down with lead in an earthen furnace, producing a silver-lead alloy which was then heated on the cup to separate the silver from the lead.