Iwami Province

historical province of Japan

Iwami Province (石見国, Iwami-no kuni) was an old province of Japan in the area of Shimane Prefecture on the island of Honshū.[1] It was sometimes called Sekishū (石州). The province had borders with Aki, Bingo, Izumo, Nagato, and Suō provinces. In the Heian period, the capital city of the province was Hamada.

Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Iwami Province highlighted

History

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Iwami Ginzan silver mine

In the Edo period, silver was discovered and mined. The Iwami Ginzan silver mine (石見銀山) was added to the World Heritage List in 2007.[2]

In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. The maps of Japan and Iwami Province were reformed in the 1870s.[3]

Shrines and Temples

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Mononobe jinja was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Iwami. [4]

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References

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  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Iwami" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 408.
  2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine; retrieved 2011-1-20.
  3. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780.
  4. "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 2 Archived 2013-05-17 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-1-17.

Other websites

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