The or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating Honshu and

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

, two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshu side of the strait is Shimonoseki (, which contributed "Kan" () to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu side is

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuku ...

, whose former city and present ward,

Moji Moji may refer to: * ''Onji'' or ''hyōon moji'' (表音文字), phonic characters used in counting beats in Japanese poetry * Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū, ward (district) of the city of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan ** Moji Station in that wa ...

(), gave the strait its "mon" (). The straits silt up at the rate of about 15 centimetres per annum, and dredging has made it possible to build the

Kitakyushu Airport , sometimes called Kokuraminami Airport, is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, away from the main body of the city. It opened on 16 March 2006, as but ...

at low cost. Western maps from the 19th century also refer to this waterway as the Straits of Van der Capellen.Taylor, Bayard. ''Japan, In Our Day''. New York: Scribner, Armstrong, and Co, 1872. Preface map.

Population of Kanmon area

The total population of the Kanmon area is about 1.3 million, counting the whole of

(approx. one million) and Shimonoseki (approx. 300,000), although detailed definitions vary widely (see Fukuoka–Kitakyushu).

Tourism

*Fireworks festival The Kanmon Straits Summer Fireworks Festival is held in August every year. *Boat rides The Voyager pleasure boat departs from Moji-kō and cruises the straits. *Helicopter and airship flights Helicopter joyrides are available from Kaikyo Dramaship in Moji-kō. In October 2005, one of the world's largest airships currently flying (a Zeppelin NT imported from Germany) also passed through Moji on an all-Japan tour. This airship was purchased by Nippon Airship Corporation in June 2004 and was used in the Tokyo area and at the Aichi Expo 2005.

Transportation across the Straits

The Kanmon Straits can be crossed in a number of ways, the oldest of which are the ferries. There is a car ferry between Nishiminato (Kokura) and Hikinoshima (Shimonoseki) which takes about ten minutes, and a passenger ferry from Moji-ko to Shimonoseki (Karato wharf). There is also a bridge which carries an expressway. By far the most used method is a number of Kanmon Tunnels which carry the Sanyō Shinkansen, trains, cars, and even one for pedestrians at the narrowest point. The first railway tunnel was opened on November 15, 1942. The highway tunnel was opened on March 9, 1958. The Kanmonkyo Bridge (see photo) was opened to vehicles on November 14, 1973. The Shinkansen tunnel was opened on March 10, 1975.

Commercial importance

The Kanmon straits is also the connection between the Sea of Japan and the

Inland Sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland se ...

. It is used by many cargo ships as a shortcut to Osaka and Tokyo from Korea and China. The

New Kitakyushu Airport , sometimes called Kokuraminami Airport, is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, away from the main body of the city. It opened on 16 March 2006, as but ...

is also nearby.

Historical significance

Battle of Dan-no-ura The was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū. On April 25, 1185 (or March 24, 1185 by the official page of Shimonoseki City), the fleet of the Minamoto clan ...

Battle of Shimonoseki Straits The Battle of Shimonoseki Straits (Japanese:下関海戦, ''Shimonoseki Kaisen'') was a naval engagement fought on July 16, 1863, by the United States Navy warship against the powerful ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) Mōri Takachika of the Chōshū c ...

* Bombardment of Shimonoseki * Treaty of Shimonoseki

Transportation

The

opened in Kitakyushu on March 16, 2006, and is expected to bring further prosperity in the form of increased tourism and trade to the area. Ferries from Shimonoseki Port International Terminal: *The Kanpu ferry to Busan in South Korea *The Orient ferry to

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

in China *The Orient ferry to Shanghai in China

References

External links

Kanmon straits guide
{{Authority control Straits of Japan Straits of Asia Landforms of Fukuoka Prefecture Landforms of Yamaguchi Prefecture