Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine (Oda, Shimane Prefecture): Exploring the Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft

After strolling the Omori district which has a truly traditional Japanese feel and enjoying lunch made with a variety of local produce, we set off to explore the Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft — one of the largest mine tunnels of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Oda, Shimane Prefecture. It is said that there exist over 600 tunnels in the Iwami region, but Ryugenji Mabu is the only one that is open to the public all year round.

Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft at Iwami Ginza Silver Mine, Oda, Shimane Prefecture

Iwami Ginzan, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007, was said to be initially found by Jutei Kamiya, a trader from Hakata in present-day Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. In the early 1500s, the Iwami region was already known to produce cooper, and Jutei was one of the cooper traders frequenting the area. One time when he was on the boat on his way to the cooper mine, he realized that the mountains along the coast sparkled in the sunlight. When Jutei asked the boatman about it, he told the trader that silver used to be found in the area — but, it’s now pretty much gone. Jutei, however, didn’t believe his words and set out to look for silver, eventually discovering what later came to be known as Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. The mine was in operation from 1526 to 1923.

Walking from the Omori district to Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft

From Cafe Juru, where we had a filling lunch, we walked for another 1 kilometer or so to arrive at the entrance to Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft. It was a nice stroll through the traditional Japanese countryside.

There was an elementary school that is built with wood and has a tiled roof — the only such one in Japan. Our guide, Mr. Adachi, the president of Iwami Ginzan Guide Service Organization, told us that there are currently a little over 10 students enrolled here, and each flower planter on the steps in front of the school represents a student.

Mr. Adachi directed our attention to a small, white flower. Commonly called “Hakuzan Hatazao” (Arabis gemmifera), miners in old times looked for these flowers, as they came to be known to bloom where silver lies.

As we got closer to Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft, we started seeing a lot of small mine tunnels.

We came upon an intersection with a sign indicating that the mine shaft is 300 meters away. We were finally almost there.

It was very woody, and very quiet. One of the reasons why Iwami Ginzan was designated as a World Heritage site was that people formerly working in the mine took care not to harm the surrounding environment. They fell only the required minimum amount of wood and later replanted trees.

And here we were, at the entrance to Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft. It extends for about 600 meters, and roughly a third of it is open to the public (including the newly built route). Before walking inside, make sure to stop by the building outside and pay the entrance fee (410 yen/adult, 200 yen/child).

Exploring the inside

Upon stepping inside, we immediately noticed how chilly it was. We were told that the temperature inside is only around 12 degrees Celsius (around 54 degrees Fahrenheit), even in midsummer.

Back in the early 1600s when mining was in full swing, the annual output of silver from Iwami Ginzan was said to be around 15 tons. Considering the fact that there was no heavy machinery back then and miners were only equipped with basic mining tools such as chisel, this is a surprising feat to say the least.

According to our guide, Mr. Adachi, the most the miners could dig in a day was 30 centimeters. Mine tunnels were usually around 120 centimeters high and 60 centimeters wide — in other words, miners had to squeeze through — and were pitch dark. The only light source was “ratou,” or a simple lantern made by putting oil in turban shells and lighting it up. Because this produced a high amount of soot, many miners fell ill; they were said to have led a long life if they lived past the age of 30.

Left: A miner is seen carrying “ratou” in the picture on the left; Right: the official mascot character of the city of Oda, “Ratochan,” depicts ratou and is dressed in clothes worn by miners

Walking through the main tunnel, we could see narrower tunnels branching off in various directions. This showed how the miners went about discovering silver – they listened carefully to the sound their chisels make, and once they sensed that they’ve found a mineral vein, they patiently dug along it. Of course, there were times when they were wrong – in which case they had to face a cruel reality of starting all over again.

We also saw a vertical shaft that was used for draining water to another tunnel located 100 meters below. It was quite thrilling looking down into it, because we couldn’t see where the tunnel ends. The thought of falling down into it… Let’s not get there.

We walked roughly 160 meters from the entrance of the tunnel when we reached the end of the section that’s open to the public. Apparently, from this point on, the tunnel curves to the left and is clogged up by sediments about 190 meters down. From here, we took a new route that has been constructed to get us back to the ground level.

Even though it was a short walk in the mine tunnel, we got a good glimpse of how the people back then lived. Spending a day exploring Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft and the nearby Omori district, it was easy to see and understand why the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its surrounding areas were chosen as a World Heritage site.


Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft, Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine

Address: Oda City Tourism Promotion Division
(1111 Oda, Oda-cho, Oda, Shimane Prefecture)
TEL: 0854–82–1600
Opening hours: 9:00–17:00 (9:00–16:00 between December and February)
Entrance fee: 410 yen/adult, 200 yen/child

For how to get to Iwami Ginzan area, please see the bottom of this page.

You can also book volunteer English guides here (highly recommended!).

*** I participated in a press tour organized by Shimane-ken Kankou Shinkou-ka (Shimane Prefecture Tourism Promotion Division) from June 21–23, and am writing about my experiences while on the tour.

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Aya Satoh Hoshina (ほしなあや)

Written by

Japanese-English food/travel/lifestyle writer & translator. Lived 11 years in U.S., 5 years in Thailand. 海外居住歴16年の日英バイリンガル翻訳者/ライター。元記者/編集者。Loves 食/住/旅/写真/宝塚歌劇/猫

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