<論説>伊勢治田銀銅山史の研究

Abstract

治田鉱山は伊勢国では近世において知られた唯一の銀銅山である。近世初期には産銀を主として繁栄したようだが詳細は不明である。治田郷は天樹院化粧料として一時本多氏領であったが、その前後は幕領であり、寛永七年鉱山支配のため特に山奉行が新町におかれた。治田郷八ケ村中で新町は鉱山開発により形成された集落といえる。しかし寛文初年には鉱山すでに衰え、新町の陣屋も廃され、四日市陣屋の支配になったが、治田郷は吉宗が将軍職を継ぐとそれに従った加納久通の領となる。鉱山は元禄初年再興され間もなく衰え、宝永以来治田郷が鉱山を請負い、稼行人は治田郷を通して領主から稼行許可を受ける形式をとった。そして治田郷の鉱山稼行に対する監督権を拡大もし強化された。このような慣行は諸国鉱山にあまり例をみない。元禄以来は産銅に中心が移るが、特に寛保延享年間は一ケ年一〇万－三〇万斤に達し全国銅山でも上位を占めた。治田郷では鉱山が郷民の経済に深くかかわる関係もあって、他処の稼人退山の間にも郷内有力者がしばしば採掘を試みた。明治維新後、加納氏の一宮藩は藩財政の一助として鉱山開発に望みを托したが、資金不足のため成果をみず、廃藩置県によって放棄を余儀なくされたようである。

In the early modern age, Harita mine was almost the only one in the Ise country. It seems to have prospered on the production of silver, but we scarcely know it. Harita country was possessed by Bakufu 幕府 except for a period when it was appropriated for the use of Tenjuin 天樹院 and committed to the Honda 本多 clan. And in Kan'ei 寛永 7 an office was established at Shinmachi 新町 for the purpose of ruling the mine. There were eight villages in the country and Shinmachi prospered with the development of mining industry. But in the early Kanmon 寛文 period the mine was exhausted, so the office at Shinmachi was abolished and its authority was transferred to that of Yokkaichi 四日市. When Yoshimune 吉宗 became the Shogun, the country went under the rule of his subordinate Hisamichi Kano 加納久通. The mine was reopened in the early Genroku 元禄 period but soon went to ruin again, and after the Kan'ei period Harita country took the operation. A system was settled that entrepreneurs received the mining license from the authorities through the country. Thus the supervisory power of Harita country for the mine industry was to be enlarged and strengthened. Such a practice was hardly found in other cases. Since the Genroku period the primary product of the mine was copper, and in the Kampo-Enkyo 寛保延享 period the mine produced 100, 000-300, 000 pounds each year and excelled other mines. While entrepreneurs from other countries gave up mining, landlords of the country tried to reopen mining because the mining industry was involved into the local economics. After the Meiji Restoration 明治維新 the officers of the Kano clan tried to develop the mine in order to reconstruct the finance, but failed for the lack of funds. And with the supersedence of feudal domains by prefectures 廃藩置県 it was finally abandoned.