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Please help improve th is article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be ch allenged and removed. (May 2010) The Inland Sea and its major straits View of the Inland Sea from Miyajima island The Seto Inland Sea (???? Seto Naikai?), often shortened to Inland Sea, is the b ody of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main isla nds of Japan. It serves as a waterway, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea o f Japan. It connects to Osaka Bay and provides a sea transport link to industria l centers in the Kansai region, including Osaka and Kobe. Before the constructio n of the Sanyo Main Line, it was the main transportation link between Kansai and Kyushu. Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Okayama, Hyogo, Osaka, Kagawa, Ehime, Fukuoka, and Oita pr efectures all have coastlines on the Inland Sea; the cities of Hiroshima, Iwakun i, Takamatsu, and Matsuyama are also located on it. The Inland Sea region is known for its moderate climate, with a stable year-roun d temperature and relatively low rainfall levels. The sea is also famous for its periodic red tides (?? akashio?) caused by dense groupings of certain phytoplan kton that result in the death of large numbers of fish. Since the 1980s, its northern and southern shores have been connected by the thr ee routes of the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project, including the Great Seto Bridge, which serves both railroad and automobile traffic. Contents [hide] 1 Extent 2 Geographical features 2.1 Major islands 3 Fauna 4 History 5 Industry 6 Transport 7 Major tourist sites 8 Literature 9 References 10 External links Extent[edit] The International Hydrographic Organization's definition of the limits of the In land Sea (published in 1953, and using now obsolete spellings) is as follows:[1] On the West. The Southeastern limit of the Japan Sea [In Shimonoseki-kaikyo. A l ine running from Nagoya Saki (13049'E) in Kys through the islands of Uma Sima and M uture Simia (3358',5N) to Murasaki Hana (3401'N) in Honsy]. On the East (Kii Suid). A line running from Takura Saki (3416'N) in Honsy to Oishi Hana in the island of Awazi, through this island to Sio Saki (3411'N) and on to O iso Saki in Sikoku. On the South (Bungo Suid). A line joining Sada Misaki (3320'N) in Sikoku and Seki Saki in Kysy. Geographical features[edit]

Sunset in Seto Inland Sea. The bridge on the foreground is the Great Seto Bridge in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.

The Inland Sea is 450 km (280 mi) long from east to west. The width from south t o north varies from 15 to 55 km (9.3 to 34 mi). In most places, the water is rel atively shallow. The average depth is 37.3 m (122 ft); the greatest depth is 105 m (344 ft).[2] The Naruto Strait connects the eastern part of the Inland Sea to the Kii Channel , which in turn connects to the Pacific Ocean. The western part of the Inland Se a connects to the Sea of Japan through the Kanmon Straits and to the Pacific thr ough the Bungo Channel. Each part of the Inland Sea has a separate name in Japanese. For example, Iyo-na da (????) refers to the strait between Ehime, Yamaguchi, and Oita prefectures in the western portion of the sea; Aki-nada (????) is the open expanse west of the Geiyo Archipelago, near Hiroshima prefecture; and Suo-nada (????) refers to the expanse between Yamaguchi prefecture and Suo-Oshima. There are also many strait s located between the major islands, as well as a number of smaller ones that pa ss between islands or connect the Inland Sea to other seas or the Pacific. Almost 3,000 islands are located in the Inland Sea, including the larger islands Awaji-shima and Shodo-shima. Many of the smaller islands are uninhabited. Major islands[edit] Eastern part: Awaji Island, Shodo Island, Ieshima Islands, Naoshima Islands, Shi waku Islands Central part: Omishima, Innoshima, Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), Hi nase Islands, Kasaoka Islands Western part: Suo-Oshima, Uwakai Islands, Hashira-jima Islands. Fauna[edit] Over 500 marine species are known to live in the Inland Sea. Examples are the ay u, an amphidromous fish, the horseshoe crab, the finless porpoise, and the great white shark, which has occasionally attacked people in the Inland Sea. In old d ays, a lot of whales entered the sea to feed or breed, however due to whaling an d pollution, they have totally disappeared from the Inland Sea, except for occas ional lost individuals. History[edit]

The torii of Itsukushima Shrine It is believed that in the last ice age the sea level was lower than today. Afte r the ice age, sea water poured into a basin between the Chugoku mountains and S hikoku mountains and formed the Inland Sea as we know it today. From ancient times, the Inland Sea served as a main transport line between its c oastal areas, including what is today the Kansai region and Kyushu. It was also a main transport line between Japan and other countries, including Korea and Chi na. Even after the creation of major highways such as the Nankaido and San'yodo, the Inland Sea remained a major transport route. There are records that some fo reign emissaries from China and Korea sailed on the Inland Sea. Due to the importance of water traffic, regional powers often had their own priv ate navies. In many documents, these navies were called suigun (???, lit. "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. In the 12th century, Taira no Kiyomori planned to move the capital from Kyoto to the coastal village of Fukuhara (today Kobe) to promote trade between Japan and the Song Dynasty of China. This transfer was unsuccessful, and soon after Kyoto became the capital again. Later, the Battle of Yashima took place off the coast of present-day Takamatsu. During the feudal period, suigun seized power in most coastal areas. The Kono in Iyo province (today Ehime prefecture) and Kobayakawa (later Mori) in Aki provin ce (today a part of Hiroshima prefecture) clans were two of the more famous suig un lords. In the Edo period, the Inland Sea was one of the busiest transport lines in Japa

n. It was a part of a navigational route around Japan's islands via the Sea of J apan. Many ships navigated from its coastal areas to the area along the Sea of J apan. It was not only the main transport line between Kansai and Kyushu, but als o for Hokuriku, Tohoku, and even Hokkaido (which was called Ezo at the time). Ma jor ports in the Edo period were Osaka, Sakai, Shimotsui, Ushimado, and Tomonour a. The Inland Sea also served many daimyo in the western area of Japan as their route to and from Edo, to fulfill their obligations under sankin-kotai. Many use d ships from Osaka. Thanks to transport through the Inland Sea, Osaka became the economic center of Japan. Each han had an office called Ozakayashiki in Osaka. These Ozakayashiki were among Japan's earliest forms of banks, facilitating dome stic trade and helping to organize the income of the daimyo, which was in the fo rm of koku, giant bales of rice. The Inland Sea was also part of the official Chosendentsushi route, bringing Kor ean emissaries to the Shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, the coastal areas of the Inland Sea were rapidly in dustrialized. One of the headquarters of the Japanese Navy was built in the town of Kure. Since the Meiji period, development of land transport has been reducin g the importance of the Inland Sea as a transport line. Remarkable land transpor tation innovations include the Sanyo Main Railroad Line in Honshu and the Yosan Main Railroad Line in Shikoku (both completed before World War II) and three ser ies of bridges connecting Honshu and Shikoku (completed in the late 20th century ). The Inland Sea is still used, however, by an international cargo transport li ne and several local transport lines connecting Honshu with Shikoku and Kyushu. Industry[edit] The coastal area of the Inland Sea is one of the most industrialized sections of modern Japan. Besides Osaka, Kobe, and Hiroshima, some other major industrial c ities are Kurashiki, Kure, Fukuyama, and Ube in Honshu, and Sakaide and Niihama in Shikoku. Innoshima is also known for its ship factory. The main industries are steel production, ship construction, and since the 1960s , oil refining and oil-derived production. Thanks to the moderate climate and beautiful landscape, fishing, agriculture, an d tourism bring a lot of income to the area as well. Transport[edit]

Major ports and bridging Expressways of the Inland Sea. Today the Inland Sea serves its coastal areas mainly for two purposes: first, in ternational or domestic cargo transportation, and second, local transportation b etween coastal areas and islands on the sea. Major ports are Kobe, Okayama, Taka matsu, Tokushima, Matsuyama, and Hiroshima. Honshu and Shikoku have been connect ed by three series of bridges since the late 1980s. Those series of bridges, col lectively known as the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project, are, from east to west, Ak ashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Great Seto Bridge, and Nishiseto Expressway. On the other ha nd, no bridge over the Inland Sea connects Kyushu and another island. Historically, the Inland Sea as transport line served four coastal areas: Kansai , Chugoku, Shikoku, and eastern Kyushu. The Inland Sea provided each of these re gions 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 K obe port was founded in 1868 to serve foreign ships, the Inland Sea became a maj or international waterway with connection to the Pacific. Due to the development of land transportation, the travel between east and west that is, transportation within Shikoku, within Honshu, and between Honshu and Ky ushu shifted to railroad and road transport. Two coastal railways, San'yo Main L ine in Honshu 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 Inlan d Sea, and some of them were actually built. The Ministry of Railroads, later th e Japanese National Railways and then Shikoku Railway Company, ran some train fe

rry lines between Honshu and Shikoku including the line between Uno Station (Tam ano) and Takamatsu Station (Takamatsu). When the Great Seto Bridge was finished and began to serve the two coastal areas, that ferry line was abolished. Major tourist sites[edit] The coastal area of the Inland Sea is one of the most famous tourist destination s in Japan. Even before Japan opened to foreigners in the middle of the 19th cen tury, the sea's beauty was praised and introduced to the Western world by those who visited Japan, including Philipp Franz von Siebold, and after the country's opening, Ferdinand von Richthofen and Thomas Cook. Its coastal area, except for Osaka prefecture and a part of Wakayama prefecture, was appointed the Setonaikai National Park (???????? Setonaikai Kokuritsu koen? ) on March 16, 1934, as one of three oldest national parks in Japan. Itsukushima Shrine, on the island of Itsukushima in the city of Hatsukaichi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most famous Japanese sites outside T okyo and Kyoto. Shodoshima, nicknamed the "island of olives," and the Naruto whi rlpools are two other well-known tourist sites. Neighboring locations like Kotoh ira and Okayama are often combined with the tour of the Inland Sea region. Some historic sites, including Yashima in Takamatsu and Kurashiki, also attract many visitors. Hiroshima is the neighbor city to Itsukushima Shrine and another UNESC O World Heritage Site because of atomic bomb damage in 1945. Literature[edit] Some sites along the Inland Sea were featured in eighth-century Japanese literat ure, both in prose and in verse, including Kojiki, Nihonshoki, and Man'yoshu. Si nce some sites were used as places of exile, their feeling and landscape were ev oked in waka. In fiction, in The Tale of Genji, Genji fled from Kyoto and reside d in Suma (now a part of Kobe) and Akashi for two years. In medieval literature, because of the Genpei War, the Inland Sea is one of the important backgrounds of The Tale of the Heike, particularly in its latter part. In the Western world, Donald Richie wrote a literary nonfiction travelogue calle d The Inland Sea relating a journey along the sea, beginning from the East at Hi meji and ending at Miyajima in the West, close to Hiroshima, going from island t o 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 hi s own personal sense of identity. In 1991, filmmakers Lucille Carra and Brian Co tnoir produced a film version of Richie's Book, which further explored the regio n through interviews and images photographed by Hiro Narita. Produced by Travelf ilm Company and adapted by Carra, the film won numerous awards, including Best D ocumentary at the Hawaii International Film Festival (1991) and the Earthwatch F ilm Award. It screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992. (NY Times review) Koushun Takami`s novel Battle Royale took place on a fictional island in the Set o Inland Sea. References[edit] Jump up ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition". International Hydrographic O rganization. 1953. Retrieved 7 February 2010. Jump up ^ "Inland Se". Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Retrieved 22 February 2013. External links[edit] Seto Inland Sea National Park Official site {Japanese} Enjoy the Inland Sea of Japan: Setonaikai - Yokoso! Japan by JNTO Seto Inland Sea travel guide from Wikivoyage [show] v t e Earth's oceans and seas Coordinates: 3410'N 13320'E Categories: Seas of JapanGeography of Ehime PrefectureGeography of Yamaguchi Pre fectureGeography of Hiroshima PrefectureGeography of Okayama PrefectureGeography of Hyogo PrefectureGeography of Fukuoka PrefectureGeography of Oita PrefectureG eography of Kagawa Prefecture

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