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13 - Iwami Silver Mine Magistrate, My Ancestor | Yoshiaki G. Takemura
Iwami Silver Mine Magistrate, My Ancestor
Yoshiaki G. Takemura
In July of 2007, the former site of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
During the late Kamamura and early Edo periods (1570 – 1650), there was a time when the name of Iwami Ginzan appeared on the world map. But, as the amount of silver underground has significantly diminished, it has become forgotten in recent years. During the last years of the Edo period, they were digging bronze (not silver), and the Tokugawa Clan was not able to retain the mines any longer. For these reasons, fewer people have visited the town of Omori, the center of the Iwami Ginzan site, in recent years. However, the news of UNESCO’s designation in 2007 has pushed Omori back into the forefront of the world stage once again.
The official address of the World Heritage site at Iwami Ginzan is: Omori-cho, Oda-shi, Shimane-ken, Japan. Since this district was comprised of the Omori and Sama villages, it has been called Omori Ginzan or sometimes Sama Ginzan in the past. This year, I had a chance to go Japan and visit there for the second time since it became a World Heritage Site.
Getting off at JR Oda Station on Sanin-sen, take the bus to the World Heritage Center or to Omori. It takes about 30 minutes to get you to Omori Daikansho-Ato. The Iwami Ginzan Shiryokan (museum) is right before you. This used to be the former office of the Magistrate. Here, you will find the reason for recognition by UNESCO through various displays of silver mining and historical documents of over 400 years.
Crossing the town, watching old samurai houses and stores on both sides of the street, you’ll enter the mining zone. And as you stand at the entrance of the mining cave, you could get a feel for the thousands and thousands of miners who had worked and lived there.
At first, when silver was found at Iwami Ginzan, it was so abundant that it was visible on the surface of the ground. During the Sengoku Jidai (War between Territorial Samura Warriors), great warriors of western Japan like Ouchi, Amago, Ogasawara and Mohri, struggled against each other for control of the mine. There was a time when Japan was number one, producing about 1/3 of silver in the world. The name, Iwami Ginzan, was on the world map because it was the largest silver mine in Japan.
The Great War between East and West (War at Sekigahara) was fought in Oct. 21, 1600 (Keicho 5), and Tokugawa Iyeyasu. The head of the winning Eastern army swiftly took over Omori Ginzan from Terumoto Mohri. In 1601, Iwami-no-Kami Nagayasu Okubo was assigned there as the first Bugyo, Magistrate (Shogunate administrator) and he remained there in that position for 13 years until 1613 (Keicho 18).
When Nobunaga Oda was staying at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto, he was killed by a mutiny by Mitsuhide Akechi. Iyeyasu Tokugawa was in the town of Sakai (Kawachi province) when he had heard the news of his master's death by assassination. He wanted to avenge his master, but he had no soldiers with him. He had to go back to Mikawa, Owari to gather his samurais, but a direct route was not available since it trespasses into Akechi's territory. He had to pass through a rough mountainous road in Iga province. From Ise, he took a boat to cross the bay and returned to his castle in Mikawa, Owari. The name of the chief samurai who acted as a guide and guard during the journey was Michikiyo Takemura. He was a Nabunaga's retainer from Nara province. Iyeyasu gave him the honorary title of Tango-no-Kami in appreciation. After the victory at Sekigahara and having obtained Iwami Ginzan, Iyeyasu appointed Iwami-no-Kami Nagaysu as the first Bugyo,Shogunate Administrator. Michikiyo arrived in Omori in 1610 and helped Nagayasu.
In 1613 (Keicho 18), Iwami-no-Kami Nagayasu died and Tango-no-Kami Takemura Michikiyo (1562-1635) became the second Bugyo, Shogunate Administrator/Magistrate and served for 22 years until his death in 1635 (Kanei 12). Amongst the 9 Bugyo, he had served the longest. As the amount of the silver subsided, the title names of Bugyo changed as Daikan (Deputy Administrator) and Omori Bugyo-sho became Omori Daikan-sho (Deputy Administration Officer). Present Omori Daikan-sho was formerly Bugyo-sho.
During Takemura Tango-no-Kami's term in office, Omori Ginzan (title in those days) flourished the most. He moved Bugyo-sho to its present location in Omori and began to build a silver mining town around it. Not only houses for the officials, stores and hotels, but also almost 100 temples were built and its population rose to about 200,000. Various buildings and structures lined up both sides of the 2-mile long street. Tango-no-Kami Takemura built the gorgeous Shogenji temple (Jodo-shu sect) and bell tower at the hillside of Bugyosho. In his third year as Bugyo in 1616, Iyeyasu died and he built the Toshogu Shrine in memory of his lord next to the temple. All 3 of these structures remain even still today.
According to the records kept at Renkyoji Temple, “Takemura Tango-no-Kami soon after he was assigned, opened Tochibatake silver mine and built a cozy hall where he placed a holy statue and worshiped diligently day and night”. This “little hall” was moved 143 years later in 1753 to its new location in Nagahisa-mura, Anno-gun, Iwami-no-Kuni. This is the beginning of Renkyoji Temple as it exists today. Renkyoji Temple (Nagahisa, Oda-shi, Shimane-ken) belongs to Jodo Shinshu-sect, Nishi Honganji-ha, Kyoto. The present resident Priest is Kazuhide Takemura. His grandfather and my father were brothers. I imagine that the denomination of Renkyoji at the beginning was the same Jodoshu-sect as Shogenji Temple.
Parting poem by Takemura Tango-no-Kami reads:
Tanomi oku Deeply relying upon
Mida no chikai no Amida Buddha’s vow
Shirushi ari I'm clearly able to see
Suzushikuzo iku Without any worries
Gokuraku no michi The way to the Pure Land
In 1635 (Kanei 12), Michikiyo passed away and his son, Kazuyoshi succeeded him as the third Magistrate of the Ginzan.
The wooden dark purple colored statue of Amida Buddha is above average in size at about 2 feet high, not counting the stand and wooden rays behind it. The temple records tells us that the statue is comprised of 48 parts. Inside of the statue, there is a really old small wooden sitting statue of Buddha which was said to be the work by the Prince Shotoku. During the Edo period, the temple sent old documents to the mother temple in Kyoto, but have since been lost.
Because I had known that Takemura Tabgo-no-Kami of Iwami Ginzan was a direct ancestor of mine, hearing the news that Iwami Ginzan would be officially recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO was a great joy. As I trace the history of Ginzan and read his contribution, I am especially proud of him as my ancestor. I sincerely hope that someday all of us Takemura(s) from America will have a chance to visit Iwami Ginzan to express our joy to Michikiyo Takemura who later became the Bugyo, the Shogunate Administrator and contributed greatly for the development of it.
The End
November, 2016
一世パイオニア資料館
www.isseipioneermuseum.com
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