Kanayama Shrine (Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture): A shrine dedicated to the protection of the Innai Silver Mine and its prosperity

The Innai district of Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture. This quiet mountain village once flourished as the town of the Innai , known as the "largest silver mine in the Orient."

Today, Kanayama Shrine , but it was once the center of faith in the mining town, where thousands of miners would pray for safety and prosperity between their daily work.

Innai Mine, once known as "the best in the Orient"

The Innai Silver Mine was discovered in 1606. It is said that it began when a man named Murayama Sobei and his friends discovered a silver vein in the mountains. After that, it came under the control of the Kubota Domain (Akita Domain), and development began, with mining carried out directly by the domain.

Throughout the Edo period, it boasted the largest production volume in Japan, mainly of gold and silver, and during the Tenpo era (1830s), when technology developed, it reached a golden age known as " Tenpo no Moriyama ," producing over 1,000 kan (approximately 3.75 tons) of silver per year.

At its peak, the mining town was bustling with miners, craftsmen, merchants, and monks, and is said to have reached a peak population of over the "Capital of Dewa." The gold and silver produced there became a major pillar supporting the finances of the domain.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

Inuchi Ginzan, which supported the Akita Domain's finances. The coal mining town was filled with over 15,000 people [Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27852

The Akita Domain (Kubota Domain) was a domain in which the Satake clan was almost the entire Akita Prefecture area, and the initial level of the stone was about 200,000 koku, but later increased to about 390,000 koku. This is in contrast to the fact that the Yamagata Domain, which is also in the same Dewa Province (Yamagata Prefecture), was initially about 600,000 koku, but the territory was divided due to the fall of the first lord, Mogami clan, and was reduced to 200,000 koku at the end of the Edo period. As the extremely cold region of Tohoku, agricultural harvests vary from year to year, and there seems to have been a period of financial difficulties, but the foundation was mines that produced silver and copper. The domain, which had a strong influence in the Tohoku region, focused on mining development, and...

read more

The Faith that Protects the Silver Mine - The Founding of Kanayama Shrine

Kanayama Shrine is said to have been founded in 1609, shortly after the development of the silver mine began, when it was first enshrined to pray for "safe mining and the prosperity of the ore vein."

Initially, a small shrine was built near the mining site in the mountains and worshipped under the name "Mountain Shrine." It is said that the shrine was located in its current location in 1760.

The enshrined deities are Kanayamahiko-no-Okami and Kanayamahime-no-Okami, . These two deities have been worshipped since ancient times as the guardian deities of craftsmen involved in blacksmithing, foundry work, and mining.

Furthermore, mountain worship linked to the mountain god is deeply rooted, and it is believed that miners hoping for protection inside the mine visited Kanayama Shrine and prayed, "so that the mountain god would not dislike me" and "so that no accidents would occur."

Modernization and mine closure after the Meiji period

After the Meiji Restoration, Innai Silver Mine was taken over by a private company after being under government control, and the introduction of Western mining and refining techniques led to a resurgence in activity. However, the collapse of the silver price at the end of the Meiji period led to a decline in profitability, and the scale of the mine was drastically reduced.

Mining continued on a small scale into the Showa era, but finally closed in 1954 , bringing to a close the Innai Silver Mine's roughly 350-year history.

Many people left and the mining town rapidly fell into decline, but Kanayama Shrine alone continued to be protected by the local people. Within the shrine grounds remain votive monuments, stone lanterns, and prayer stones for the safety of the mining industry, all of which convey the deep faith of the time.

Current Kanayama Shrine

Kanayama Shrine still stands on the hilltop where the Innai Silver Mine once stood. According to the information board on-site, the shrine building was built by the Kubota clan in 1830 (Bunsei 13) during the late Edo period.

During the mine's heyday, when it was bustling with visitors, he was worshipped as the "guardian deity of the mountains and mines," and now he is worshipped as the "god of prosperous business, bountiful harvests, and traffic safety."

The entire area of ​​the Innai Silver Mine, including Kanayama Shrine, no longer bears any trace of its former prosperity, and being "starting to be swallowed up by the mountains .

The overgrown grass on the approach to the shrine and the moss-covered, weathered lion statues show that there is very little foot traffic at present.

In addition, the area around the shrine is dotted with remains of mine entrances, stone monuments, and old mining facilities, and has been designated as an Akita Prefectural Historic Site, the Innai Silver Mine Ruins . However, in recent years, there have been frequent sightings of bears and other wild animals, so extreme caution is required when walking around.

At the Innai Silver Mine Foreigners' House (museum), located next to Innai Station on the Ou Main Line, close to the Innai Silver Mine ruins, you can see mining tools, ore, and photographic materials from that time.

Kanayama Shrine <Information>

• Name: Kanayama Shrine
• Address: 40 Uehonmachi, Innai Ginzancho, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, 019-0113
• Phone number: 0183-52-3480
• Official URL: Akita Prefecture Shrine Association – Kanayama Shrine

Google Map

Aoiwa

Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs.