Speculator - yamashi

This article describes the miner as a mine manager. The miner controlled and oversaw all aspects of the mine's management. Under the miner were the miners (those in charge of the digging area inside the mine), carpenters (mining workers), workers (porters, also called diggers, women and children), carpenters (who made drainage gutters), hibiki (drainage workers), and yama-tei (pillar workers). They were all involved in the production of the mine.

The mining industry developed greatly in the early modern period, and mining engineers and skilled workers specialized in surveying, mining, ore dressing, and refining. Among them, those with leadership and management skills became prospectors and led others. Tokugawa Ieyasu placed importance on mines to establish the finances of the Edo Shogunate, and granted special privileges to prospectors by establishing the "53 Articles of the Mountain Law." As a result, a kind of extraterritoriality was recognized within the mines, and even if a murderer took refuge in a mine, he did not have to be handed over to the authorities. Sato Nobuhiro, a mine management engineer in the early 19th century, wrote in his "Mine Law" about the mindset of a prospector, "...what happens within the mountain depends on the will of the mountain owner, so while a mountain owner may be wise and prudent on the outside and appear to be very foolish and dissolute in his behavior, deep down he is very frugal and loves to give generously, his accounts are very high, he is brave and very tender..."

[Toshiro Kuroiwa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

本項では鉱山経営者としての山師について述べる。山師は、鉱山の経営いっさいを支配統轄した。山師の下には、金子(かなこ)（坑内の掘り場の責任者）、大工（採鉱係）、手子(てこ)（運搬夫、掘り子ともいい、女、子供があたった）、樋大工（排水樋の製作にあたる）、樋引き（排水係）、山留め（支柱係）などがいて鉱山の生産に携わった。

　鉱山業は近世になってから大いに発展し、測量・採鉱・選鉱・精錬などの鉱山技術者、熟練労働者の専業化が進んだが、そのなかから指導力、経営力のある者が、山師となって他を率いるようになったのである。徳川家康は、江戸幕府の財政を確立するために鉱山を重視し、「山例(さんれい)五十三箇条」を定めて山師に特権を与えた。そのため鉱山の構内は一種の治外法権が認められ、殺人者が鉱山に逃げ込んでも役人に渡さなくてもよいことになっていた。19世紀初期の鉱山経営技術者である佐藤信淵(のぶひろ)は『坑道法律』のなかで、「……山内のことは山主の心次第なるものなれば、山主たる者は智慮(ちりょ)深く、外貌(がいぼう)は甚だ愚にして、行状は放蕩(ほうとう)に見えて、内心甚だ倹素に厚く施すことを好みて諸勘定極めて高く、勇豪にして甚だ涙軟(もろ)く……」と山師の心得を述べている。

［黒岩俊郎］

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