Seto Inland Sea

TheSeto Inland Sea(Lại hộ nội hải,Seto Naikai),sometimes shortened to theInland Sea,is the body of water separatingHonshu,Shikoku,andKyushu,three of the four main islands ofJapan.It serves as awaterwayconnecting thePacific Oceanto theSea of Japan.It connects toOsaka Bayand provides a sea transport link to industrial centers in theKansai region,includingOsakaandKobe.Before the construction of theSan'yō Main Line,it was the main transportation link between Kansai and Kyūshū.

Seto Inland Sea
View of the Seto Inland Sea fromMiyajima island
Seto Inland Sea
The Inland Sea and its major straits
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	34°10′N133°20′E
Type	Sea
Basincountries	Japan
Surface area	23,203 km2(9,000 sq mi)
Average depth	38 m (125 ft)

Yamaguchi,Hiroshima,Okayama,Hyōgo,Osaka,Wakayama,Kagawa,Ehime,Tokushima,Fukuoka,andŌitaprefectures have coastlines on the Seto Inland Sea; the cities ofHiroshima,Iwakuni,Takamatsu,andMatsuyamaare also located on it.

TheSetouchi regionencompasses the sea and surrounding coastal areas. The region is known for its moderate climate, with a stable year-round temperature and relatively low rainfall levels. The sea is famous for its periodicred tides(Xích triều,akashio)caused by dense groupings of certainphytoplanktonthat result in the death of large numbers of fish. Since the 1980s, the sea's northern and southern shores have been connected by the three routes of theHonshū–Shikoku Bridge Project,including theGreat Seto Bridge,which serves both railroad and automobile traffic.

Extent

TheInternational Hydrographic Organization's definition of the limits of the Seto Inland Sea (published in 1953) is as follows:

On the West.The southeastern limit of the Japan Sea [InShimonoseki-kaikyo.A line running from Nagoya Saki (130°49'E) inKyûsûthrough the islands of Uma Sima and Muture Simia (33°58',5N) to Murasaki Hana (34°01'N) inHonsyû].

On the East (Kii Suidô).A line running from Takura Saki (34°16'N) in Honsyû to Oishi Hana in the island ofAwazi,through this island to Sio Saki (34°11'N) and on to Oiso Saki inSikoku.

On the South (Bungo Suidô).A line joining Sada Misaki (33°20'N) in Sikoku and Seki Saki in Kyûsyû.

The range of the Seto Inland Sea by the Territorial Sea Law (Lĩnh hải cập び tiếp 続 thủy vực に quan する pháp luật) is 19,700 km²(7,600 sq mi). The range of the Seto Inland Sea according to the Setouchi Law and the Setouchi Law Enforcement Order is 21,827 km²(8,427 sq mi).

Geographical features

The Seto Inland Sea withShikokuandChūgokufrom theISS

The beauty of the islands of the Seto Inland Sea,Suō-Ōshima,Yamaguchi Prefecture

The Seto Inland Sea is 450 km (280 mi) long from east to west. The width from south to north varies from 15 to 55 km (10 to 34 mi). In most places, the water is relatively shallow. The average depth is 38 m (125 ft); the greatest depth is 105 m (344 ft).

Hydrologically, Seto Inland Sea is not a trueinland sea,being neither anepeiricbody of water likeHudson Baynor an isolatedendorheic basinlike theCaspian Sea.Rather, it is actually amarginal sea:a division of a wider ocean (in this case the Pacific) which is partially enclosed by islands, archipelagos, or peninsulas (here, the Japanese Home Islands), adjacent to or widely open to the open ocean at the surface. TheNaruto Straitconnects the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea to theKii Channel,which in turn connects to the Pacific. The western part of the Seto Inland Sea connects to the Sea of Japan through theKanmon Straitsand to the Pacific through theBungo Channel.

Each part of the Seto Inland Sea has a separate name in Japanese. For example,Iyo-nada(Y dư than)refers to the strait between Ehime, Yamaguchi, and Ōita prefectures in the western portion of the sea;Aki-nada(An vân than)is the open expanse west of theGeiyo Islands,near Hiroshima prefecture; andSuō-nada(Chu phòng than)refers to the expanse between Yamaguchi prefecture andSuō-Ōshima.These areas are sometimes styled Iyonada, Akinada, and Suonada. There are also many straits located between the major islands, as well as a number of smaller ones that pass between islands or connect the Seto Inland Sea to other seas or thePacific.Almost 3,000 islands are located in the Seto Inland Sea. The largest island isAwaji-shima,and the second largest isShōdo-shima.Many of the smaller islands are uninhabited.

Major islands

• Eastern part:Awaji Island,Shōdo Island,Ieshima Islands,NaoshimaIslands,Shiwaku Islands,Yumeshima
• Central part:Geiyo Islands(includingŌmishima,Innoshima),Itsukushima(popularly known as Miyajima),Hinase Islands,Kasaoka Islands
• Western part:Suō-Ōshima,Uwakai Islands,Hashira-jimaIslands.

Fauna

Over 500 marine species are known to live in the Seto Inland Sea. Examples are theayu,anamphidromousfish,horseshoe crab,finless porpoise,andgreat white shark,which has occasionally attacked people in the Seto Inland Sea. In the past,whalesentered the sea to feed or breed, however because ofwhalingand pollution, they are rarely seen.

History

Seto Inland Sea seen from theToriiofItsukushima Shrine

During the lastice age,thesea levelwas lower than today. After the ice age, sea water poured into a basin between theChūgokumountains andShikokumountains and formed the Seto Inland Sea as it is known today. From ancient times, the Seto Inland Sea served as a main transport line between its coastal areas, including what is today theKansai regionandKyushu.It was also a main transport line between Japan and other countries, including Korea and China. Even after the creation of major highways such as theNankaidōandSan'yōdō,the Seto Inland Sea remained a major transport route. There are records that some foreign emissaries from China and Korea sailed on the Seto Inland Sea.

The importance of water traffic gave rise to private navies in the region. In many documents, these navies were calledsuigun(Thủy quân,"water army" ),or simply pirates. Sometimes they were considered to be public enemies, but in most cases they were granted the right to self-governance as a result of their strength. During the feudal period,suigunseized power in most coastal areas. The Kono inIyo Province(todayEhime Prefecture) andKobayakawa(laterMōri) inAki Province(today a part ofHiroshima Prefecture) clans were two of the more famoussuigunlords. In the 12th century,Taira no Kiyomoriplanned to move the capital fromKyototo the coastal village of Fukuhara (todayKobe) to promote trade between Japan and theSong dynastyof China. This transfer was unsuccessful, and soon after Kyoto became the capital again. Later, theBattle of Yashimatook place off the coast of present-day Takamatsu.

In theEdo period,the Seto Inland Sea was one of the busiest transport lines in Japan. It was a part of a navigational route around Japan's islands via the Sea of Japan. Many ships navigated from its coastal areas to the area along the Sea of Japan. Major ports in the Edo period were Osaka, Sakai, Shimotsui,Ushimado,and Tomonoura. The Seto Inland Sea also served manydaimyōsin the western area of Japan as their route to and fromEdo,to fulfill their obligations undersankin-kōtai.Many used ships from Osaka. Thanks to transport through the Seto Inland Sea, Osaka became the economic center of Japan. Eachhanhad an office calledOzakayashikiin Osaka. TheseOzakayashikiwere among Japan's earliest forms of banks, facilitating domestic trade and helping to organize the income of thedaimyo,which was in the form ofkoku,giant bales of rice.

The Seto Inland Sea was also part of the official Chosendentsushi route, bringing Korean emissaries to the shogunate. After theMeiji Restoration,the coastal cities along the Seto Inland Sea were rapidly industrialized. One of the headquarters of theJapanese Navywas built in the town ofKure.Since the Meiji period, development of land transport has been reducing the importance of the Seto Inland Sea as a transport line. Remarkable land transportation innovations include theSan'yō Main Railroad Linein Honshū and theYosan Main Railroad Linein Shikoku (both completed beforeWorld War II) and three series of bridges connecting Honshū and Shikoku (completed in the late 20th century). The Seto Inland Sea is still used, however, by an international cargo transport line and several local transport lines connecting Honshū with Shikoku and Kyūshū.

Industry

Major cities with heavy industrial activity on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea include Osaka, Kobe, and Hiroshima. Smaller scale manufacturing and industry can also be found inKurashiki,Kure,Fukuyama,andUbein Honshū, andSakaide,Imabari,andNiihamain Shikoku. Major industries includesteelproduction, vehicle manufacture, ship building, textiles, and since the 1960s, oil refining and chemical products. Imabari Shipbuilding,Japan's largest ship building company, has its headquarters and some of its yards inImabari, EhimePrefecture. Thanks to the moderate climate and beautiful landscape, fishing, agriculture, and tourism bring a lot of income to the area as well.

Transport

Major highways in the Seto Inland Sea. Yellow: Kobe-Awaji-Naruto. Green: Seto-Ōhashi. Red:Nishiseto Expressway.

KURE-MATSUYAMA ferry, Seto Inland Sea 2017

Today the Seto Inland Sea serves its coastal areas mainly for two purposes: first, international or domestic cargo transportation, and second, local transportation between coastal areas and islands on the sea. Major ports are Kobe, Okayama,Takamatsu,Tokushima, Matsuyama, and Hiroshima.

Historically, the Seto Inland Sea as transport line served four coastal areas: Kansai, Chūgoku, Shikoku, and eastern Kyūshū. The Seto Inland Sea provided each of these regions with local transportation and connected each region to the others and far areas, including the coastal area of the Sea of Japan, Korea, and China. After Kobe port was founded in 1868 to serve foreign ships, the Seto Inland Sea became a major international waterway with connection to the Pacific.

Development of land transportation shifted the travel between east and west — that is, between Honshū and Kyūshū — to railroad and road transport. Two coastal railways, San'yō Main Line in Honshū and Yosan Main Line, were built. Those railway lines stimulated the local economy and once invoked a rail mania. Many short railroads were planned to connect a certain station of those two lines and a local seaport on the Seto Inland Sea, and some of them were actually built. The Ministry of Railroads, later theJapanese National Railwaysand thenShikoku Railway Company,ran some train ferry lines between Honshū and Shikoku including the line between Uno Station (Tamano) andTakamatsu Station(Takamatsu). When theGreat Seto Bridgewas finished and began to serve the two coastal areas, that ferry line was abolished.

Highways and bridges

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

The main islands Honshū and Shikoku are connected by three series of bridges since the late 1980s. This improves land transportation between the connected islands. These series of bridges, collectively known as theHonshū–Shikoku Bridge Project,are, from east to west,Akashi Kaikyo Bridge,Great Seto Bridge,andNishiseto Expressway.

Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Highway

The easternmost highway was built between 1976 and 1998. It leads fromAkashi(Hyōgo Prefecture) on theAkashi Kaikyo Bridge(the second-longestsuspension bridgein the world) toAwaji Island,from there via theŌnaruto BridgetoŌge-jima(Naruto,Tokushima Prefecture) beyond the 1.3-kilometer wideNaruto Straitand finally across the Muya Bridge toShikoku.

Seto Chuo Highway

The Great Seto Bridge connects Okayama Prefecture with Kagawa Prefecture since 1988. It consists of a total of six two-storey bridges, whose lower floors are used by the railway (Japan Railways Group). The high speedShinkansendoes not go to or on Shikoku.

Nishiseto Highway / Shimanami Highway

This is the first of three intersections of the Seto Inland Sea. Construction started in 1975, but was fully completed in 1999. It connects the Nishiseto-OnomichiHighway in Hiroshima Prefecture with a total of ten bridges and several smaller islands with Imabari inEhime Prefecture.Approximately 100,000 people live on those islands. The bridges are: Shin Onomichi Bridge,Innoshima Bridge,Ikuchi Bridge,Tatara Bridge,Ōmishima Bridge, the two Ōshima bridges and the three Kurushima Kaikyo bridges. TheKurushima Kaikyō Bridgeconnects the island ofŌshimato the main island ofShikoku.

Other bridges

TheAkinada Tobishima Kaidoroute connects seven of the westernGeiyo Islandsto mainland Honshu nearKure, Hiroshima.

Maritime

Seto Naikai Pilots Area provides compulsorymaritime pilotingfor vessels over 10,000 tones, it was divided into sections of Bisanseto and sections ofKurushima,connectingKanmon ChannelPiloting Area andOsaka BayPiloting Area.

Major tourist sites

Mount Ishizuchi

Mimosusogawa Park(ja:みもすそ xuyên công viên) inShimonoseki

The coastal area of the Seto Inland Sea is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Japan. Even before Japan opened to foreigners in the middle of the 19th century, the sea's beauty was praised and introduced to the Western world by those who visited Japan, includingPhilipp Franz von Siebold,and after the country's opening,Ferdinand von RichthofenandThomas Cook.

Its coastal area, except forOsaka Prefectureand a part ofWakayama Prefecture,was appointed theSetonaikai National Park(Lại hộ nội hải quốc lập công viên,Setonaikai Kokuritsu kōen)on March 16, 1934, as one of three oldest national parks in Japan.

Itsukushima Shrine,on the island ofItsukushimain the city ofHatsukaichi,is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Siteand one of the most famous Japanese sites outsideTokyoandKyoto.Shōdoshima,nicknamed the "island of olives", and theNaruto whirlpoolsare two other well-known tourist sites. Neighboring locations likeKotohiraandOkayamaare often combined with the tour of the Setouchi region. Some historic sites, including Yashima inTakamatsuandKurashiki,also attract many visitors.Hiroshimais the neighbor city to Itsukushima Shrine and another UNESCO World Heritage Site because ofatomic bombdamage in 1945. Idol UnitSTU48operate on a cruise on the Setuchi.

The eastern end of the Sea is now famous for theSetouchi Triennaleset up in 2010 with the next event happening in 2022. Some of this takes place on the island ofNaoshima,known colloquially as the art island, and the home of several permanent museums.

At the far eastern extremity, as the Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, are theNaruto whirlpoolsthat can be reached by sight-seeing boats.

TheShiwaku Islandsare a defined group numbering 28 that can be reached by ferry boat fromMarugame.HereRichard Henry Bruntonbuilt one of his lighthouses that can still be seen, and the grave ofFrank Toovey Lake,a young midshipman in his survey party has become famous.

In the central area of Seto Inland Sea isMount IshizuchionShikoku.It is the highest mountain in western Japan and the highest mountain inShikoku.

In the western end of the Sea isMimosusogawa Park(ja:みもすそ xuyên công viên) inShimonoseki.It commemorates the final stage of theGenpei warbetween the feudalTaira clanandMinamoto clan(1180–1185).

Literature

Some sites along the Seto Inland Sea were featured in eighth-century Japanese literature, both in prose and in verse, includingKojiki,Nihon Shoki,andMan'yōshū.Since some sites were used as places of exile, their feeling and landscape were evoked inwaka.In fiction, inThe Tale of Genji,Genji fled from Kyoto and resided in Suma (now a part ofKobe) andAkashifor two years.

In medieval literature, because of theGenpei War,the Seto Inland Sea is one of the important backgrounds ofThe Tale of the Heike,particularly in its latter part.

In the Western world,Donald Richiewrote a literary nonfiction travelogue calledThe Inland Searelating a journey along the sea, beginning from the East at Himeji and ending at Miyajima in the West, close to Hiroshima, going from island to island, exploring the landscape, meeting and discussing with local people, as well as musing on Japanese culture, the nature of travel and of identity, and his own personal sense of identity. In 1991, filmmakersLucille Carraand Brian Cotnoir produced a film version of Richie's book, which further explored the region through interviews and images photographed by Hiro Narita. Produced by Travelfilm Company and adapted by Carra, the film won numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival (1991) and the Earthwatch Film Award. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.

Koushun Takami's novelBattle Royaletook place on a fictional island in the Seto Inland Sea.

A critical plot element of the Japanese seriesFafner in the Azureis an alien life form discovered at the bottom of this sea known as the Seto Inland Sea Mir.

Author and literary critic Amy Chavez'sThe Widow, the Priest and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Islandis an account of the author's firsthand experience living among and interacting with the residents of Shiraishi.

External links

• Seto Inland Sea National Park Official site{Japanese}
• Setonaikai National Park- byJNTO
• Seto Inland Seatravel guide from Wikivoyage