For Daimyo Smugglers; It All Started with Silver (2)

     In the 16th century, for Japanese missions to Ming, silver was the means of payment for necessities of life during their stay in Ming.  They had to anchor and wait in Hang-zhou Bay for months before they were allowed even just to sail into Ningbo Port.  During those months, they had to buy food and daily necessities at Aoshan or Dinghai in Zhoushan Island with their silver.

     The silver found at Miyahara enabled the Sagara Clan to send their own “mission” to Ming with an old out-of-date tally, although it failed as a mission without enough certification only to turn to be a smuggler.  That type of localization of originally national central missions to Ming was started successfully by the Ouchi Clan.  Then how did the Ouchi Clan gained their silver as the capital of trading?

     The Iwami Silver mine was developed in 1527.  The Ouchi Clan was ruling the area then, and Hakata merchants might have financially supported the development.  However, technically speaking, it was Mishima Seiemon (?-?) who developed the silver mine.  He brought 3 engineers, Yoshida Mitsuemon (?-?), Yoshida Tozaemon (?-?), and Obeni Magoemon (?-?) from Sagi Copper Mine in Izumo Province to open the mine.

     Seiemon and Oda Toemon (?-?), an agent of a Hakata merchant, Kamiya Jutei (?-?), brought rice and coins to purchase silver ores, which were taken away somewhere else at first.  To where?  We have 2 interesting records in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

     On January the 10th, 1528, Bag Gyeson and others were arrested for secretly refining lead ores containing silver at Hwang Yunbich’s house in Seoul.  On August the 2nd, 1539, Yu Seojong, a local official in Jeonju, Jeola Province, was arrested because he had secretly bought lead ores containing silver from Japan, refined at home, and taught the skill to some Japanese people.