[3] The industrial process involved cupellation, and was a contributing factor to the large amount of silver traditionally exported by Japan.
[3] In 1526 Kamiya Jutei, a wealthy merchant from Hakata, founded the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Ōda.
[6] Under the Hai-Fuki-Ho method, silver-containing copper ore would be cast-smelted with lead, then allowed to dry.
This mixture would then be heated so that the lead melted and separated out of the copper, taking the bonded silver with it.
The high-purity silver produced by the Hai-Fuki-Ho method was highly desired by foreign merchants.