Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft

Ryugenji Mabu, one of the most significant tunnels at Iwami Ginzan, was opened in 1715 under direct shogunate administration and operated for two centuries. Originally chiseled by hand to just enough width for a single miner, the main passage was expanded with drilling equipment in the late nineteenth century. The first 177 meters are open to visitors. Dozens of branch shafts radiate from the main corridor, following silver veins through the rock. The Asian common lady fern, a low-growing plant that thrives in heavy-metal-rich soil, still marks the tunnel entrance, a sign that silver remains in the ground here.