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While copper mines operated in many parts of the archipelago in this period, the chief source of copper production was [[Akita han]]. Many of these mines saw considerable expansion in their production in the 17th century, but were well on the way to being exhausted by the end of that century, joined by Japan's silver mines not long afterwards. In [[1763]], just as silver exports came, essentially, to an end, the shogunate reported that the mines in Akita and elsewhere in northern Honshû had been exhausted, and decreased the amount of copper Chinese and Dutch merchants could take out of the country; the Chinese quota was reduced by 300,000 ''kin'' to 800,000, and the Dutch similarly reduced by 200,000 ''kin''. The shogunate moved to maintain the volume of trade, however, by forcing mining domains to sell export copper at reduced rates, and passing the savings on to the Dutch; Nagasaki was thus able to maintain its level of imports, and both the ''[[Nagasaki kaisho]]'' (customs house) and the mining domains made back the loss by simply charging higher prices on the domestic market.<ref>Hellyer, 78.</ref>
While copper mines operated in many parts of the archipelago in this period, the chief source of copper production was [[Akita han]]. Many of these mines saw considerable expansion in their production in the 17th century, but were well on the way to being exhausted by the end of that century, joined by Japan's silver mines not long afterwards. In [[1763]], just as silver exports came, essentially, to an end, the shogunate reported that the mines in Akita and elsewhere in northern Honshû had been exhausted, and decreased the amount of copper Chinese and Dutch merchants could take out of the country; the Chinese quota was reduced by 300,000 ''kin'' to 800,000, and the Dutch similarly reduced by 200,000 ''kin''. The shogunate moved to maintain the volume of trade, however, by forcing mining domains to sell export copper at reduced rates, and passing the savings on to the Dutch; Nagasaki was thus able to maintain its level of imports, and both the ''[[Nagasaki kaisho]]'' (customs house) and the mining domains made back the loss by simply charging higher prices on the domestic market.<ref>Hellyer, 78.</ref>
In [[1766]], the shogunate banned all private sales of copper, and established a new copper [[za|guild]], to which it gave a monopoly on the minting of copper coinage, and the shipment of copper between Osaka and Nagasaki.<ref>Hellyer, 86.</ref>
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