Kakuta Haruo---Decoding Japan---

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Location: Sakai, Osaka, Japan

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Inland Sea Lane

In the latter half of the Age of Provincial Wars, Murakami Clan gained power with their bases on Geiyo Archipelago in the middle of West Inland Sea Area. Murakami Clan is composed of 3 sub-clans; Nojima Murakami, Kurushima Murakami, and In’noshima Murakami. They used to be called Santo Murakami (Three-Islands Murakami) or Santo Murakami Navy. Here, I sometimes call Nojima Murakami, the head sub-clan of the three, just Murakami. Murakami Clan was subordinate to Kono Clan, the Guardian of Iyo, and established a good relationship with Mori Clan. The Clan extended their power over East Inland Sea Area, and assumed control of Shiwaku Islands in Sanuki, Hitsuishi-jima Island and Yo-shima Island in today’s Sakaide City, Hon-jima Island, Ushi-jima Island, and Hiro-shima Island in today’s Marugame City, Takami-shima-Island and Sanagi-shima Island in today’s Tadotsu Town, and etc. all in today’s Kanagawa Prefecture. Shiwaku Islands were located in the center of Bisan Archipelago between the Sea of Harima-nada and the Sea of Hiuchi-nada. They attracted many ships and boats, and provided boatmen to transport travelers and goods. Murakami Clan came to control Shiwaku people, and became a master who organized and controlled local territorial pirates at difficult straits in Inland Sea. Against Murakami Clan’s extending its power, Oda Nobunaga guaranteed Shiwaku ships’ shipping to Sakai in the document by Shwaku Guardhouse dated March 26, 1577, the seventh year of Tensho. The document shows Shiwaku Islands were placed under the influence of Oda Nobunaga. Until around 1584, the 12th year of Tensho, however, Murakami Clan committed themselves to the islands. The islands seem to have been under the influence of the both sides actually. The Inland Sea has The Sea of Harima-nada, Bisan Archipelago, the Sea of Hiuchi-nada, Geiyo Archipelago, the Sea of Itsuki-nada, Boyo Archipelago, the Sea of Iyo-nada, and the Sea of Suo-nada from east to west. It has “nada” (a rough sea with strong winds and waves, and with rapid currents, where sailing is difficult) and archipelagos alternately. Between nada, there are straits with big ranges of tides. The islands near those straits were located with important ports, and with sea castles of pirates as well. Nojima Castle, Nojima Murakai Clan’s main castle and stronghold, for example, controlled Hanaguri Strait, Kojin Strait, Funaori Sterait. Those are rapid straits with 10-not (about 19 km/h) currents whirling at fastest. Kurushima Strait has as rapid as 12-not current at the rising tide, which causes famous Hachiman-uzu, or Hachiman Vortex. Ships needed local pilots, and were easily captured from Kurushima Castle, Kurushima Murakai Clan’s main castle and stronghold. These two areas have many marine accidents even today, and are known as dangerous sea areas with poor views, with narrow widths to sail, and with rapid currents. Inland Sea Lane used to be thought to have started during Edo Period, but, today, it can date back to before the Age of Provincial Wars. The lane used to have 2 coastal routes and 3 offshore routes. Aki coastal route sailed along Sanyo coast, and Iyo coastal route along Shikoku coast. The offshore routes sailed from the west through the Sea of Itsuki-nada, Hanaguri Strait, Yuge Strait, and the Sea of Bingo-nada; through The Sea of Itsuki-nada, Funaori Strait, Miyako Strait, the Sea of Hiuchi-nada, and the Sea of Bingo-nada; through the Sea of Itsuki-nada, Kurushima Strait, and the Sea of Bingo-nada.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

East and West

We often take the Inland Sea as one region, but the region didn’t have one history in the Age of Provincial Wars. There had been two historical trends. One was a trend around Kinai region, while the other is a trend in a region which had a close relation with the Northern and the Eastern areas in Kyushu. We can divide the Inland Sea region into 2 sub-regions. The western borderlands of the first region are Bicchu in today’s Chugoku district and Nii County in Iyo in today’s Shikoku district. The second region lies west to the borderlands. The first region is called East Inland Sea Area, and the second is called West Inland Sea Area, respectively. The East Inland Sea Area has two large seaports, Hyogo (in today’s Kobe City) in Settsu and Sakai (in today’s Sakai City) in Izumi, which are most well-known Japanese seaports in the world. Hosokawa clan, which produced Shogunate aides, wielded power in those two seaports, and enjoyed close relationships with the cities. Ships and boats from the two ports go through the Kitan Strait or the Akashi Strait first. Around those straits, there used to be powerful pirates on the watch for those vessels. Around the Kitan Strait, the Manabe Clan and the Tan’nowa Clan in Izumi and the Kan Clan in Awaji were well-known, and, around the Akashi Strait, Ishii Clan in today’s Akashi was famous. In the West Inland Sea Area, Onomichi in Bingo and Itsukushima in Aki used to be famous as ports of call, and Tomo-no-ura, or the Tomo Inlet, (in today’s Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture) in Bingo were especially important since it was prosperous as a junction between the East and West Inland Sea Areas. The port is located at the rear end of an inlet at the southern tip of the peninsular which juts out into the Sea of Hiuchi-nada. It is a good port between a hill and Taiga Island, a tied-island which is attached to the hill with a sandbar. The inlet is serene and a port town had been located from the ancient time there. A sea current runs into the Bungo Channel eastward into the Sea of Iyo-nada according to the tide. Another sea current runs into the Kitan Channel westward into the Sea of Harima-nada according to another tide. The Tomo Inlet is located at the meeting point of the two sea current, and ships and boats utilizing the currents used to gather here waiting for a next current. It used to be a node of distribution network in Western Japan, and attracted information quickly as well. Tomo-no-ura used to be a port town deeply related to Muromachi Shogunate, or Ashikaga Clan. For example, at the very start of the shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji, its founder, stopped at Komatsu-dera Temple here on his way to strike back to Kyoto from Kyushu. Ashikaga Tadafuyu, Takauji’s son, came down here to Ogajima Castle as a governor of Chugoku district. Down during the Age of Provincial Wars, the 10th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiki (later renamed Yoshitane) was removed and expelled by Hosokawa Masamoto, but returned back to Kyoto from Yamaguchi to be re-appointed as a shogunate under the support of Ouchi Yoshioki. He called at the port on his way back to Kyoto. The 15th shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiaki exiled himself here, appointed Mori Clan as a vice-shogunate, opened “Tomo Shogunate” as a base of anti-Nobunaga forces, and ordered war lords in Western Japan to work for his return to Kyoto. These examples tell us that Tomo-no-ura used to attract national attention at the beginning of Muromachi Era and at the end of the Age of Provincial Wars.