Nima

The hills of Nima contain Iwami Ginzan, one of Japan's most important silver mines. Roads carried ore and supplies between the workings and the Sea of Japan: Tomogaura served as an early shipping port, followed by Yunotsu and Okidomari farther west. The mountain's wealth made it a prize for rival lords and connected the coast to distant markets. Hakata merchant Kamiya Jutei developed the mine in the 1520s. In 1533 a refining method brought from Korea made it possible to extract silver locally, greatly increasing production. The Mōri and Amago fought for control in the sixteenth century; after Sekigahara in 1600, the Tokugawa took possession and appointed Ōkubo Nagayasu to oversee the mine.