Sanzama famine

The Sanzama Famine (山様の餓洲、さんざまのかめ] was a famine which affected much of the Honzura region during the early 16th century. It is considered to have begun in 1502, and lasted until 1508. It was named for its prevalence in Sanzama Province, which was the centre of the famine and where the most deaths occurred. However, the famine quickly grew to spread across almost every area of the Honzura region. The famine was the deadliest to occur between the late medieval period and early modern period in Kanton. 
== Causes ==
The 1503 eruption of Mount Tohara in western Sanzama (modern-day Tomono Prefecture) is said to have caused, or at least exacerbated, the Sanzama famine. Starting at the turn of the century, there was a sharp decline in crop yield throughout Honzura due to cold weather, therefore food stocks in the rural areas were exhausted. The situation was worsened by small volcanic eruptions (before Mount Tohara), which resulted in volcanic ash entering the atmosphere. Aside from the direct damage incurred, this caused frigid weather that catastrophically damaged crops.
A secondary cause of the famine was the government's economic policies. The famine spread largely due to mismanagement by the manza. During this period, a policy had been implemented to commercialise agriculture and increase tax income, which was paid in rice. The policy caused economic difficulties for many and led to excessive investment in rice production (which was vulnerable to cold weather) in order to pay the higher taxes. It also resulted in local emergency stores of food becoming depleted. The various factors combined to result in poor harvests and a lack of emergency stores, which led to expensive rice prices. In this climate, a serious famine was almost unavoidable.
== Results ==
The summer on the western Honzura coast was foggy and rainy. The cold weather required people to wear thick cotton clothing. According to contemporary records, approximately 20,000 people starved to death, mainly in rural areas of the Honzura region. However, many local authorities, perhaps afraid of being accused of mismanagement, did not report the full extent of the damage, so the actual death toll may have been far higher, perhaps even ten times this figure. The outcome was particularly severe in western Sanzama, where it was reported that over 100,000 people died. Including people who fled the area, Yamako Province lost almost half of its population.