Takahashi House
The Takahashi House sits just off the road to the Ryugenji mine shaft. Its location reflects the significant role that the Takahashi family played in the local mining community. In 1839, the mine operators at Iwami Ginzan elected Takahashi Tomisaburo, the head of the family at the time, to serve as liaison between the miners and the local magistrate’s office, which represented the central government in Edo (present-day Tokyo). This was a key post, as it involved mediating between the mining companies and the government representatives who were charged with hiring the businesses, issuing licenses to work in the mine, and overseeing the silver supply to ensure its safe delivery to Edo.
Through their involvement in the management of the mine, the Takahashi family eventually accumulated a fortune sizeable enough to build one of the largest and most lavish houses in the area. Completed around 1860, it includes the main house facing the road, a teahouse in the garden, and a detached cottage in the back. While not currently open to the public, the Takahashi House allows you to imagine how a wealthy miner and his family lived in an era when silver production at Iwami Ginzan was just entering the modern era.