Shimonoseki

下関市しものせきしShimonoseki-shi

The gateway between Honshu and Kyushu

Shimonoseki is the largest city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, at the western tip of Honshu on the Kanmon Straits opposite Kitakyushu. It is Japan's centre of the pufferfish (fugu) trade and the site of the battle of Dan-no-ura and the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki.

Overview

Shimonoseki guards the Kanmon Straits, the narrow and fast-flowing channel between Honshu and Kyushu that links the Sea of Japan with the Seto Inland Sea. For more than a thousand years ships have passed here, and the city, known historically as Akamagaseki or Bakan, has been a port, a battlefield and a gateway to the Asian mainland.

Its history is concentrated along the waterfront. At Dan-no-ura the Taira clan was destroyed in 1185, and Akama Shrine honours the child emperor Antoku who drowned there. In 1863–1864 Chōshū batteries fired on Western ships in the straits, and in 1895 the treaty ending the First Sino-Japanese War was signed at the Shunpanrō inn. Today bridges and tunnels carry road and rail traffic to Kitakyushu, and ferries sail to Busan.

The city is best known in Japan for fugu, which it calls fuku, "good fortune"; Karato Market by the straits is lively with fish stalls. Since mergers in 2005 the city also covers a long stretch of the Sea of Japan coast, including the island of Tsunoshima and the spa of Kawatana.

Landmarks

Akama Shrine
赤間神宮Akama Jingū
Shrine to Emperor Antoku with a vermilion, palace-like gate, and the tombs of the Taira and the site of the Hōichi ghost story.
Dan-no-ura and Mimosusogawa Park
壇ノ浦・みもすそ川公園Dan-no-ura, Mimosusogawa Kōen
The shore facing the battle site, with replicas of the Chōshū cannons and the entrance to the pedestrian tunnel.
Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel
関門トンネル人道Kanmon Tonneru jindō
A walkway of about 780 metres beneath the straits, with the prefectural border marked on the floor.
Karato Market
唐戸市場Karato Ichiba
A wholesale fish market on the waterfront where stalls sell sushi and fugu dishes, especially at weekends.
Shunpanrō
春帆楼Shunpanrō
The inn where the 1895 treaty was signed, with a memorial hall recreating the conference room.
Kaikyōkan
海響館Kaikyōkan
The city aquarium, with a large collection of pufferfish species.
Chōfu and Kōzan-ji
長府・功山寺Chōfu, Kōzan-ji
A former castle town with earthen walls and samurai gates, and a temple with a fourteenth-century Zen Buddha hall.
Tsunoshima Bridge
角島大橋Tsunoshima Ōhashi
A bridge of about 1.8 km across emerald shallows to the island of Tsunoshima on the Sea of Japan.

Districts

Karato
唐戸Karato
The waterfront with the market, aquarium, ferries to Moji and historic Western-style buildings.
Station area
下関駅周辺Shimonoseki-eki shūhen
The terminal district with the Kaikyō Yume Tower and the ferry terminal for Busan.
Chōfu
長府Chōfu
The historic district of the Chōfu Mōri domain east of the centre.
Hikoshima
彦島Hikoshima
An industrial island at the western tip, with shipyards and fishing port.
Hōhoku and Toyoura
豊北・豊浦Hōhoku, Toyoura
The Sea of Japan coast with Tsunoshima and Kawatana Onsen.

History

Shimonoseki appears in early history as the barrier station of Akamagaseki. The battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185 ended the Genpei War, and in 1612 the swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō are said to have duelled on the island of Ganryūjima. In the Edo period the port prospered as a stop for the Kitamae-bune ships and was governed by the Chōfu branch of the Mōri.

In 1864 Takasugi Shinsaku launched his uprising at Kōzan-ji in Chōfu, turning Chōshū against the shogunate. The city of Akamagaseki (Bakan) was created in 1889 and renamed Shimonoseki in 1902. The Kanmon railway tunnel of 1942 was the world's first undersea railway tunnel, followed by a road tunnel in 1958 and the Kanmon Bridge in 1973. Shimonoseki became a core city in 2005.

1185
The Minamoto defeat the Taira at Dan-no-ura; Emperor Antoku drowns.
1320
The Buddha hall of Kōzan-ji in Chōfu is built; it is now a National Treasure.
1612
Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō duel on Ganryūjima, according to tradition.
1863–1864
Chōshū shore batteries fire on foreign ships; a Western fleet occupies the batteries in reprisal.
1864
Takasugi Shinsaku raises troops at Kōzan-ji against Chōshū's conservative leadership.
1895
The Treaty of Shimonoseki is signed at the Shunpanrō.
1942
The Kanmon railway tunnel opens, the world's first undersea railway tunnel.
1973
The Kanmon Bridge opens.
2005
Mergers with four towns and core-city status.

Culture

Shimonoseki's culture is shaped by the straits and the Heike story. The Senteisai in May recalls Emperor Antoku with a procession of women dressed as courtesans, and Akama Shrine is linked with the tale of Hōichi the Earless, retold by Lafcadio Hearn. On 13 August the Kanmon Straits fireworks are launched from both shores. The city has a sizeable Korean community, reflecting its ferry links to Busan.

Festivals

Senteisai
先帝祭Senteisai
From 2 to 4 May at Akama Shrine, with a courtesans' procession across an arched bridge.
Kanmon Straits Fireworks
関門海峡花火大会Kanmon Kaikyō Hanabi Taikai
On 13 August fireworks are launched simultaneously from Shimonoseki and Moji.
Bakan Festival
馬関まつりBakan Matsuri
The city's summer festival with dance parades and the Heike procession.

Food

Fugu (fuku)
ふく刺しFuku-sashi
Pufferfish sliced so thin the plate shows through, served with ponzu; also in hot pot and as grilled milt.
Bottled sea urchin
瓶詰うにBinzume uni
Sea urchin preserved in alcohol, a local invention.
Kawara soba
瓦そばKawara soba
Tea soba served on a hot roof tile, from Kawatana Onsen.
Whale
鯨料理Kujira ryōri
Shimonoseki was a base for Japanese whaling, and whale dishes remain part of local food culture.

Getting around

Shin-Shimonoseki Station is on the San'yō Shinkansen; JR Shimonoseki Station, the terminus of the San'yō Line, is about 10 minutes away by local train.
Buses run from Shimonoseki Station to Karato, Akama Shrine, Dan-no-ura and Chōfu.
A small ferry crosses from Karato to Moji Port in Kitakyushu in about five minutes; trains continue through the rail tunnel to Moji and Kokura.
The San'in Line runs north along the Sea of Japan coast; Tsunoshima is reached by bus from the line's stations.
Overnight ferries sail from the international terminal to Busan in Korea.

Day trips

Mojikō Retro
門司港レトロMojikō Retoro
The historic port district of Kitakyushu across the straits, reached by ferry or tunnel.
Motonosumi Shrine
元乃隅神社Motonosumi Jinja
A line of more than a hundred red torii down to the cliffs of the Sea of Japan in Nagato.
Akiyoshidai
秋吉台Akiyoshidai
The karst plateau and great cave, about an hour by car.
Hagi
萩Hagi
The castle town of Chōshū, reached along the Sea of Japan coast.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalYamaguchiYamaguchi-shiThe Ōuchi capital, the Kyoto of the West CityHagiHagi-shiThe castle town where the Meiji Restoration began CityIwakuniIwakuni-shiFive wooden arches over a clear river

Frequently asked questions

How do you cross from Shimonoseki to Kyushu?

By the small Kanmon ferry from Karato to Moji Port, on foot through the pedestrian tunnel from Dan-no-ura, or by train through the rail tunnel.

When is the best time to eat fugu in Shimonoseki?

Fugu is at its best in the cold months from late autumn to early spring, when fugu hot pot and grilled milt are in season.

Where is the Shinkansen station?

At Shin-Shimonoseki, a few stops north of the city centre on the JR San'yō Line.

What happened at Dan-no-ura?

In 1185 the Minamoto destroyed the Taira fleet in the straits; the child emperor Antoku drowned, ending the Genpei War.

Sources

1.下関市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 下関市
2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
3.山口県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 山口県
4.国指定文化財等データベース (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁