Japan Heritage story
The Silver Carriage Road: 73 km to Hyogo's mines
播但貫く、銀の馬車道 鉱石の道
In 1876 Japan built a road just for horse carriages, running straight from Himeji's port to the Ikuno silver mine. Extended north to more mines, the 73 km route passes old post towns and ends in quiet mine tunnels.
Key facts
- Theme
- Mines and minerals
- Era
- Meiji
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 播但貫く、銀の馬車道 鉱石の道
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～資源大国日本の記憶をたどる73kmの轍～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 兵庫県（姫路市, 福崎町, 市川町, 神河町, 朝来市, 養父市）
The story
Ikuno's mine had been worked for about 1,200 years ("Sado for gold, Ikuno for silver", people said) when the Meiji government made it Japan's first state-run mine using Western technology. To move ore and supplies, in 1876 it built the Silver Carriage Road, a flat, direct road for horse carriages from Shikama port, now Himeji port, to Ikuno 49 km north. It is called Japan's first high-speed industrial road.
The route runs straight towards Himeji Castle, then north through farmland and old post towns, over the Ikuno pass and on to the mines of Mikobata, Akenobe and Nakase, 73 km in all. In Ikuno, the mine headquarters built back then still works today as a tin-smelting plant.
What to see
- Post towns: Tsujikawa with the Miki family house, Yakata, and Awaga with the Takeuchi tea house.
- Ikuno's Kuchiganaya district: reddish Ikuno roof tiles, latticed townhouses and walls made of smelting slag.Google Maps 口銀谷 朝来市 (opens in a new tab)
- The mines: deep tunnels at Ikuno and further north at Akenobe and Nakase.Google Maps 史跡 生野銀山 (opens in a new tab)
Plan your trip with the Hyogo prefecture guide and see more history and heritage.
Good to know
- Try Iwatsu negi, a green onion first grown to feed the miners and now one of Japan's three famous onions.
- Start at Himeji Castle and head north; the road keeps a near-straight line.
- Check which mine tunnels are open to visitors before you set out.
Questions travellers ask
What is the Silver Carriage Road?
A road built in 1876 for horse carriages, linking Shikama port in Himeji to the Ikuno silver mine 49 km north.
Why was Ikuno important?
It was one of Japan's great silver mines and became the country's first state-run mine using Western technology.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Ako: the town that made Japan's finest salt
- Awaji: the first island in Japan's creation myth
- Inaba and Tajima: landscapes made by the Sea of Japan wind
- Itami and Nada: the birthplace of Japan's clear sake
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- Tamba-Sasayama: a castle town in a folk song
- The Kanmon Strait: retro ports on both shores
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.