Kamiya Jutei, a Japanese merchant, discovers a massive silver deposit in the mountains of Shimane Prefecture, establishing the Iwami Ginzan silver mine. In 1533, the introduction of the Haifuki-ho (cupellation) smelting technique from Korea drastically increases production efficiency, allowing for pure silver extraction. At its peak in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Iwami Ginzan produces roughly one-third of the world's silver. The mine becomes a highly contested prize among rival warlords during the Sengoku period before being seized directly by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and later the Tokugawa Shogunate to fund state consolidation.

The mineral wealth of Iwami Ginzan funds the cultural flowering of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods, which directly impacts the development of Haikai and early Haiku poetry. Wealthy merchant classes and samurai patrons, enriched by the silver-driven economy, sponsor poetry gatherings and literature. The influx of wealth and the intense mining labor also influence traditional Noh drama and regional folk songs (Min'yo), which tell the stories of underground miners, spiritual mountain deities, and the heavy toll of extraction on local communities.