Dive in Shimonoseki : The Strait That Shaped Modern Japan - Dive in Tokyo

Dive in Shimonoseki. Today, we leave Tokyo behind and fly 820 kilometers west to the edge of Japan's main island. We begin at a spot where you can walk across the seafloor. This is a fascinating experience. I wasn't expecting to be walking underneath the water. That's amazing. Fukuoka-ken, this is Kyushu, and this is the line between the two. I'm now stepping into Yamaguchi Prefecture. Here we go! The city of Shimonoseki developed along the historic Kanmon Straits. Due to its strategic importance, many battles have been fought over the strait, each one marking a turning point in Japan's history. We are exhibiting a cannon. Wow, that's amazing. That's interesting. Shimonoseki was at the forefront of the country's modernization. Traces of that history remain all along the strait, including in the city's seafood culture. A very strong, deep flavor. Oh, it's wonderful. The waterway provided a rich, natural environment and shaped the city's fascinating history. Come along as we dive into Shimonoseki. From Tokyo, it takes about three and a half hours by plane and train to travel down to Shimonoseki, a coastal city that borders both the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea. With an international terminal for ferries and cargo ships from South Korea and China, the local port serves as a gateway to Asia. Okay, so this is the local fish market, and it looks huge. So let's go inside and have a look. Our first stop is Karato Market. Founded in 1924, this historic seafood center is at the heart of Shimonoseki's food culture. On weekends, it's bustling with visitors from around Japan and abroad. There's one here which is just 100 yen, very reasonable. I'm gonna try that. Okay, that is a pretty reasonable start to the day. Look at that! You can buy some sushi and enjoy it out on the deck, which looks out across the strait. Here we go, let's try this one. The size of that, isn't that amazing? It's so fresh, you see. Where have you come from? We are from Korea. From Korea? Lovely! Is it your first time? No, second time. Nice food, nice beautiful place. Wow! The commercial and administrative center of Shimonoseki is located around Karato Market. But up until around 160 years ago, the seat of power was the seaside town of Chofu, just beyond the mountains. You can imagine the whole of this area being built in this way big walls like this imposing houses behind these walls this is very classic japanese town landscape i imagine we'll meet our first guide at the main gate of Kōzanji temple which was established in 1327. Chofumori-ke is where the current Shimonoseki Temple is located. Chofu is the center of the temple. This is the Shōzanji Temple, where the Shōzanji Temple is located. Oh, it's close. Yes, it is. Next to Kōzanji Temple is Shōzanji Temple, where people come to pay their respects to the powerful feudal family. This is the grave of Mori Mitsuhiro, the second generation head of the Chofu Mori family. This is the first time I've heard of it. If it was a grave of this size, would the house have been big? Yes, since it was the place where the lord lived, it was called a castle. Here is a map of the town of Chofu in the Edo period. This is Shozanji, where JJ is now. And the lord is here. It's a nice place for a view. at Kushizaki Castle, which stood on a cape that jutted out into the sea. We'll make our way there by following a river that flows through town. We've been walking along the river for a long time. Yes, that's right. This river is called Dangu River. Oh, Dangu River. Yes, it's actually a very important river in the Joka town, Chofu. At that time, there were high-ranking and low-ranking people among the samurai. The rank of the people was determined by the place where they lived. If you cross the river and go to the other side, you'll reach the Gojas area. And at the very back of the Gojas area, you'll find the castle. I see. That's where the lord lived. The Dangu River served as the outer moat, protecting the lord's castle. Chofu Castle Town was designed to take advantage of the natural terrain. Today, only the castle ruins remain. The stone wall at the time was about 140 meters high, and it's still there today. So now you have another person's house? Yes, I have another person's house. That's interesting. Did that person notice? Let's go and check it out. By the way, the entrance to the castle is right there. This is the entrance to the castle? That's amazing. Hello, thank you for coming. The house up on the stone wall belongs to the Hayashidas. Mr. Hayashida, a history buff, purchased this land and built a home on top of it 60 years ago. I love the wall of your house. Incredible. And that's the biggest one. This is the biggest stone right here? Look at that. Look. I can't even reach the edges of it properly, really. It's that big, that wide. Super. It's like Stonehenge or something. This is the entrance to the castle, the main entrance to the castle, and to show it to the people who came, the biggest stone was placed at the entrance of the castle. I brought this big stone with me and brought it here. Appeal. cape. We head down to the water to see why. If you look over there, it's the Kanmon seafront. If you go through there, you can get to the Chinese border. You can see both sides of the bridge where the castle is located. You can see it. You can see it from here. You can see it from any enemy. That's right. the defeated Western Army saw their territory drastically reduced and decided to build a defensive stronghold in Chofu. That led the town to develop as a political and cultural center. But the commercial center was set up in the present-day Karato Market area. The reason was the strait's geographical importance. This is the Kanmon Bridge, and this is the Hashi Gaku area. It's really small, isn't it? Yes, I've been looking at it. It's 400 or 300 years ago, so to carry supplies, basically, it's all ships. Yes, ships can carry more luggage more efficiently. When you go to Edo or Osaka, you carry luggage on a ship. When that happens, you will definitely pass the Kanmon Bridge and head to Osaka. So this Kanmon Bridge There are a lot of ships that go through the port. That's why so many ships enter and do business here. I see. Situated between the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea, Shimonoseki grew from the late 1600s onward into the second largest port city in western Japan, behind only Osaka. Foreigners who came to Japan at the end of the war thought the same way. For example, in the UK, they want to make Japan their trading partner. But among the Japanese, there were a lot of people who hated foreigners at the time. In 1864, Shimonoseki made international news. Warships from Britain and other powers looking to advance trade with Japan clashed with radical samurai based in the region, who were calling for the expulsion of foreigners. Traces of the battle remain along the strait southwest of Chofu. Our guide is Nakahara Shuichi, from Shimonoseki City's Cultural Heritage Protection Division. This is the place where the Maeda Daiba was built. And this is where the cannon was planted. Wow! I couldn't get in because of the siege, but I was able to come today. You can get in? Yes, I can. Really? These are the remains of a gun battery built by the Choshu Domain, which was governed by the Mori clan to defend against foreign threats. Oh, so you can actually see it? Yes. Wow! You can see the distance, right? I think you can reach it if you throw a stone. When there were many foreign ships passing by, at that time, the people of Choshu refused to go abroad. It was quite violent, but they were suddenly shot with a cannon. Moreover, they were not military ships, but they were shot against a ship that was so-called akinai in Korea. In response, a multinational fleet led by the British mounted a counterattack. This photograph shows Western forces occupying Maeda Battery. The image and the articles that accompanied spread news of Japan throughout the West. There are artillery shells unearthed from the period. The one on the right is from the Western powers and was accurate up to about three kilometers. In contrast, the Choshu Domain's cannonball barely had a range of one kilometer and was notoriously inaccurate. The Choshu Domain, which had suffered a crushing defeat, negotiated peace with the Western powers, And within a matter of days, Shimonoseki Port was open. But there was still a problem. The treacherous journey posed by the Kanmon Straits. The roughly 28-kilometer waterway follows a winding path. At its narrowest point, the current speeds up to 18 kilometers per hour. Ships would often run aground at night. The Western powers demanded improvements to ensure the safety of shipping lanes. The Mutsurejima lighthouse is the entrance to the west side of the Kanmon River. I see, so this is the entrance. So it's a very important place. That's right. That's the most important place. The construction of a lighthouse on Mutsure Island meant that cargo ships could enter the strait safely. Here we go. We're landing. We're here. The lighthouse sits atop a hill overlooking the strait, on the northern tip of the island. At just 10.6 meters tall, Mutsurejima Lighthouse is on the small side, but its light has a range of about 22 kilometers and is still in use today. At that time, a Japanese craftsman who came from overseas taught the Japanese how to make a lighthouse. It was the first lighthouse that was made. The lighthouse was built here to ensure that the ship could enter safely from now on the Kanmon Strait. Yes, it is. It is said that the dark sea of the era was illuminated by the lighthouse. The era was illuminated, and the Japanese were guided by the bright light to start modernization. As a symbol, it is not a weapon, but electricity and light. It's a very good symbol. That's right. That's amazing. With improvements to the Kanmon Straits, Shimonoseki found itself in the spotlight as a trading hub. We've come to the Karato intersection, which was once a cove, to get a sense of what it was like. was like. This is the former British consulate. Britain considered Shimonoseki as important as Yokohama and Nagasaki. Karato developed into a major financial district after the Bank of Japan opened a local branch in 1893. The Akita Shokai Company was founded in 1905 and operated branches not only in Japan, but in China, Korea, and Taiwan. The trading firm amassed a fortune through the import and export of lumber and foodstuffs. The Akita Shokai building was one of the first reinforced concrete structures in Japan. Its high ceilings provide a spacious feel, and the interior is adorned with sculptural details. The second and third floors were a residence. where the Akita family lived up until the 1990s. Today, we're getting special access to the roof. It said founder Akita Toranosuke loved to spend time in the rooftop garden, looking out across the Kanmon Straits. This is a proof of that, isn't it? Yes, it is. In the late 19th century, Japan went to war with the Qing dynasty of China for influence over the Korean peninsula. In 1895, peace talks were held in Shimonoseki to bring the war to an end. It was Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, who chose Shimonoseki as the venue. The talks took place at a traditional restaurant and inn in the Karato area. This is the room. May I come in? Yes, please. It's a very beautiful room. It's said the room where the talks were held offered a sweeping view of the strait. How did you feel when you saw this view at that time? Probably, Ito Hirobumi, when it comes to the Kowa meeting, he made the warships line up here, and he kept them alive. In a way, it's said that he suppressed the Shinkoku side. And so, in the end, it's said that he chose this Shinpanro near the sea for the Kowa meeting. It turns out that years before brokering peace, Ito had an experience at this very restaurant and inn that would shape Shimonoseki's culinary culture. In 1888, Yamaguchi became the first prefecture to lift its ban on fugu. Up until then, eating the potentially lethal pufferfish was strictly forbidden. When Ito Hiroo happened to be set up, there was no fish to sell. For some reason, there was a fugu in Ikesu, and I took that fugu to Ito Hiroo. I thought, this is so delicious, it would be a waste not to preserve this kind of fish, so I decided to use the cooking method to eat fugu. That's how I started Shinpanro. Shimonoseki became the birthplace of modern fugu cuisine. Thanks in part to its rarity, many people began visiting the area to savor the delicacy. Surrounded by water on three sides, Shimonoseki has long had a thriving fishing industry. In 1966, it recorded the largest landing volume in Japan. One of the port city's mainstays has been Fugu. In fact, it's one of the few places in the world with a Fugu market. At the heart of the market is the processing facility where the fish's toxins are removed. The flesh of wild fugu is a dense mass of muscle fibers. It's thinly sliced with a special knife and served with a special sauce and condiments so diners can fully appreciate its texture. Dip it in the Japanese ponzu and some slightly spicy daikon radish. Here we go. Oh, it's wonderful. So it's super thin fish, very thin, but a very strong, deep flavor. White fish, but stronger than white fish. Hoping to share this subtle delicacy with people from overseas, they continue to develop new dishes. Yes, thank you! Shimonoseki may not be necessarily on everybody's radar, but I suspect it could be. There's a real energy here, whether that comes from the aggressive waters, or the idea to build a tunnel underneath those waters, the choice of specialty being blowfish. It's a very interesting combination, trying to connect disparate objects in this way, east meets west. Shimonoseki was the first in Japan, maybe, to do that, and it's very interesting to see.