Virtual Old Akita 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #9 Shoon-ji Temple

 

     It is unknown when Shoon-ji Temple was founded and when it was abolished.

     The Innai Silver Mine was discovered and opened in 1606 by Murayama Sobei and others.  It produced gold and silver and was Japan's largest silver mine throughout the Edo period and its name was included on a map made in Rome in 1617.  It was managed by the Kubota Domain, which was later called Akita Domai, and was an important mine that supported the domain's finances.

     In the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867), it showed signs of decline due to the depletion of ore veins, but, after 1800, it recovered with the discovery of new ore veins.  At the peak of the mining industry, the surrounding area had 4,000 houses and a population of 15,000.  It became the largest city in the domain, surpassing the Kubota Castle Town.

     At the end of the Meiji period, changes in the international situation led to a collapse in the price of silver, leading to a major downsizing and temporary closure in 1920.  Mining continued at a small scale after that, but the mine was totally closed in 1954.

     As Shoon-ji Temple was listed as an original member temple of the Old Akita 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, the temple could have been founded before 1040.  It could have been abolished when the silver mine was in decline.

Address: Asahicho-40 Yokobori, Yuzawa, Akita 019-0204

Seigan-ji Temple

Address: Shinbaba-158 Shimoinnai, Yuzawa, Akita 019-0112

Phone: 0183-52-3020

Old Innai Silver Mine

Address: Innaiginzanmachi, Yuzawa, Akita 019-0113