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Japan heritage
Ports and Residences Built on the Dreams of Brave Seafarers
- The Kitamae-Bune Sea Routes -
Utagawa Hiroshige “Series of Ports in Japan: Muronotsu in Banshū Province” Ōta Memorial Museum of Art
The Kitamae-Bune was a merchant ship that carried supplies from the Edo period to the Meiji period. The shipping route connected Osaka and Hokkaido/Tohoku via the Sea of Japan, and shipowners who wanted to get rich quick traded goods at each port of call. As a result of their activities, they not only delivered various goods but also promoted cultural exchange across Japan.
“There is business opportunity where people gather!”
The so-called “sailors of Muro” were active early on in Murotsu which is a good natural harbor. They amassed great wealth calling at all ports on the route. The magnificent buildings of wealthy merchants, Shimaya and Uoya, have been preserved as the Murotsu Kaieki-kan (Murotsu Museum of Sea Port) and the Murotsu Minzoku-kan (Murotsu Museum of Folklore), respectively. Walk around and explore the Moyai stone that was used for mooring ships, as well as the shrine and the temple shipowners visited to see and feel how they spent time at the port.
In May 2019, the story of Kitamae-Bune that has been passed down for generations in Murotsu was recognized as a Japan Heritage with the title “Kitamae-Bune Sea Routes-Ports and Residences Built on the Dreams of Brave Seafarers”.
Walking Course
A harbor like a storage (called “muro” in Japanese) facing Seto Inland Sea and surrounded by mountains. It was featured in poems in the Manyo period, served as the setting of the Genpei War, and thrived through the system of Sankin-kotai (system of alternate residence by the feudal lords) and the Kitamae-Bune during the Edo period. We have created two walking courses – the Quick Course and the Complete Course - that will let you appreciate the history and landscape of Murotsu.
Visit Cultural Properties Listed in the Japan Heritage
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Murotsu Kaieki-kan
室津海駅館
Townscape of Morotsu
室津の町並み
Stone buddhiest
見性寺の石仏
Murotsu Minzoku-Kan
室津民俗館
Minato-chaya
みなと茶屋
Moyai stone
もやい石
Kamo Shrine
賀茂神社
Jounji Temple
浄運寺
Hiyoriyama
日和山
This course will let you enjoy the scenery of Seto Inland Sea that was highly praised by Siebold and the landscape of Murotsu that fascinated such cultural figures as Takehisa Yumeji and Shiba Ryotaro, as well as retrace the history of the port town, Murotsu, which thrived as a port of call of the Kitamae-Bune in the past.
In addition to spots on the Kitamae-Bune Quick Walking Course, this course will take you to Jounji Temple that is associated with Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect.
Constituent Cultural Properties
Murotsu Kai eki-kan
Murotsu Kaieki-kan was built as a residence by Miki Hanshiro from the wealthy merchant, Shimaya, in the late Edo period and it was partly extended in the Meiji period.
The two-story Kirima-zukuri (gabled roof construction) style building with traditional tiled roof shows the characteristics of typical town houses in Murotsu at that time. Decorations of its tatami rooms are definitely worth seeing.
Today it is open to the public as a museum of Tatsuno City. Visitors will learn about the history of Murotsu, which thrived as a Sea Port, through four themes: the freight vessels, the Sankin-kotai system, the Dutch missions to Edo, and the Joseon (Korean) missions to Japan.
Murotsu Kaieki-kan (Murotsu Museum of Sea Port) / Murotsu Minzoku-Kan (Murotsu Museum of Folklore)
https://www.city.tatsuno.lg.jp/bunkazai/kaiekikan-minzokukan.html
Townscape of Morotsu
Most feudal lords in Western Japan called at Murotsu during the Edo period in line with the system of Sankin-kotai. The feudal lords used six inns (Higoya, Hizenya, Kinokuniya, Chikuzenya, Satsumaya and Hitotsuya) at the peak of this system, and their activity led to prosperity in the area called Murotsu Senken.
Murotsu also served as an international port for Joseon missions, the curator of the Dutch trading house, and the Ryukyu delegation on a mission to Edo.
The reconstructed model of Higoya
Drawing, the disposition of inn‘s rooms
Stone buddhiest
This group of stone Buddha statues in the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage was dedicated by Miki Hanshiro of the wealthy merchant, Shimaya, in 1851.
The approach crossing the Buddha statues leads to Kenshoji Temple where a Vaisravana statue made in the late Heian period is enshrined (*closed to the public).
Murotsu Minzoku-Kan
Murotsu Minzoku-kan was built as a residence in the late Edo period by the Toyono family. With Uoya as its tradename, the Toyono family was a wealthy merchant that served the Himeji Domain and was permitted to use a surname and wear swords.
The hanging double door near the entrance and the hidden stairs at the back of the first floor show the visitors how wealthy merchants lived back then. The Mushikago windows (a kind of window with ultra-fine lattice) on the earthen floor on the second floor are incredibly unique and cannot be found in other town houses in Murotsu. Donʼt miss it.
Murotsu Kaieki-kan (Murotsu Museum of Sea Port) / Murotsu Minzoku-Kan (Murotsu Museum of Folklore)
https://www.city.tatsuno.lg.jp/bunkazai/kaiekikan-minzokukan.html
Minato-chaya
The tea house of the Himeji Domain was in this place where Minato-chaya is situated today. It was used as a state guest house for receiving Joseon missions during the Edo period.
A Joseon mission was a delegation of 300-500 members that brought an official letter from the king of Joseon to the shogun (general). They made a total of 12 visits to Japan during the Edo period and called at Murotsu 11 times, except in the final visit when they stayed at Tsushima. It is said that many people came to Murotsu from surrounding villages to see the large group of vessels floating on Seto Inland Sea.
Moyai stone
The Moyai stone was used to tie mooring ropes when a ship arrived in the port. Walk along the revetment to see the top of the Moyai stone. It used to be the edge of the bay.
Obansho was the security office of the Himeji Domain that monitored ships arriving and leaving the bay. The Moyai stone in this Obansho Park is 180cm long and about 40cm wide, and weighs about 600kg.
There were many Moyai stones in the past, but they were removed due to revetment works throughout the country during the Showa era. Therefore, the one in Obansho Park is valuable as it has been perfectly preserved.
Kamo Shrine
Kamo Shrine is an old shrine that is believed to have been established in the Heian period.
The front shrine facing the main shrine (called Tobi-Haiden) is incredibly unique, and it allows people to pay a visit to the shrine from the sea. This venerable shrine has been revered since antient times as the guardian of travelers by Seto Inland Sea.
With the main shrine in the front, there are five Nagare-zukuri style shrine pavilions with cypress bark roof. Eight buildings, including these pavilions, the Karamon gate and the east-west corridor have been designated as important cultural properties of Japan. The shrine also has many cultural properties of the prefecture and the city such as Japanʼs northernmost wild sago palms.
Siebold, who visited with the curator of the Dutch trading house during the Edo period, praised the view from the Sanrojo (place where priests pray) and said that it was one of the most beautiful views he had ever seen in Japan. Such beautiful landscape of Harima Sea can still be seen today.
Booking required at least one month in advance
You can marvel at the view of Harima Sea, which Siebold highly praised in the 19th century, from the Sanrojo while having matcha tea and sweets.
If you wish to go on a special visit, send an email to the address shown below at least month before your visit. We will explain the procedures and the fees for the special visit.
The Sanrojo is not usually open to the public. Your request for this special visit may be refused depending on the day (due to rites, etc.)
Contact: Tatsuno City Murotsu Kaieki-kan
【Contact】Tatsuno City Murotsu Kaieki-kan
E-mail：kaiekikan@city.tatsuno.lg.jp
Opening hours: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm / Closed: Mondays (except public holidays), the next day of a public holiday (except Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays), last day of the month, and the year end and new-year holidays
Jounji Temple
Jounji Temple is a holy place which has connection with Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect. Legend has it that Honen met and enlightened a prostitute called Tomogimi in Murotsu on the way to Sanuki for exile in 1207.
There are stories related to women here like the grave of Tomogimi near the entrance and the grave of a female “hidden Christian” in the graveyard.
In 2021, the confirmation of the existence of an Amida Buddha statue carved from a single wood and a small sphere inside the Amida Buddha statue (considered as a work of Kaikei-school Busshi), the principal object of worship at this temple, became a hot topic of conversation.
Sit down in the main hall and gaze at Seto Inland Sea. This temple, which is also known as a spiritual spot, captivated unknown travelers, writers, film directors, actors, and politicians like Shiba Ryotaro, Suda Kokuta, Yasuda Ayao, Omura Kon and Tanabe Seiko, and they recorded their memories in their sketch books.
Hiyoriyama
The mountain behind Jounji Temple is called Mt. Hiyoriyama. Sailors climbed this mountain before departing to forecast the weather. They even apparently saw large schools of sardines from this point during the time when the sardine industry was still active in the area. Another theory claims that this was a place where prostitutes would send off their men who were setting sail.
A stump of the Chinese hackberry planted as a sign of Mt. Hiyoriyama still remains on the route from Kamo Shrine to the Muroyama Castle.
Murotsu History
The Kamo Shrine Engi record says, “Kamo Taketsunumi no Mikoto used his ax, hatchet and sickle to cut off ivies and opened the port.”
Harimanokuni Fudoki (records of the culture, geography, climate, etc. of Harima Province), compiled about 1,300 years ago, described it as "like a storage that protects from the wind,” confirming that the port has been always a good and calm harbor.
The Kamo Shrine Engi record says, “Kamo Taketsunumi no Mikoto used his ax, hatchet and sickle to cut off ivies and opened the port.”
Harimanokuni Fudoki (records of the culture, geography, climate, etc. of Harima Province), compiled about 1,300 years ago, described it as "like a storage that protects from the wind,” confirming that the port has been always a good and calm harbor.
| ７１３ | Compilation of Fudoki was ordered. "This harbor is like a storage that protects from the wind" (Harimanokuni Fudoki). |
|---|---|
| ７００s | Sung in two 8th century poems (“Karaninoshima ni…” and “Muro no ura no…”) in the Manyoshu (the oldest extant collection of poems in Japan). Murotsu was called Murounotomari and was designated as one of the five harbors of Seppan by a Buddhist monk, Gyoki (Honcho Monzui) |
| １１８０ | Taira no Kiyomori paid a visit to Murotsu Kamo Shrine on the way to Itsukushima Shrine with Retired Emperor Takakura (Takakurain Itsukushima Gyokoki) |
| １１８３ | The Battle of Muroyama between the Genji clan and the Taira clan that arrived at Murotsu going to Saikai. (The Tale of the Heike/Enkei Book) |
| １１８４ | “Muro-Shioya no Mikuriya” as a land owned by the Kamigamo Shrine (Order by Minamoto no Yoritomo) |
| １２０７ | Legend says that the Buddhist monk, Honen, met a prostitute in Murotsu (Honen Shonin Eden) |
| １３３６ | Legend says that Ashikaga Takauji held a war council in Murotsu (Baishoron), and Akamatsu Enshin deployed his first son, Norisuke, to the Muroyama Castle. |
| １４２０ | Song Hui-gyeong, a special envoy of the Joseon Dynasty stayed in Murotsu (Roshodo Nihon Koroku) |
| １４４１ | The Kakitsu War. Later, the Muroyama Castle was ruled by the Yamana clan and the Uragami clan. |
| １５５９ | The article on the landing in Murotsu by the Portuguese missionary, Vilela (Fróisʼs History of Japan) |
| １５６４ | Legend says that Uragami Kiyomune, together with his father, Masamune, was assassinated during his wedding by Akamatsu Masahide in Muroyama Castle (there are various stories). The festival called Hassaku no Hinamatsuri originated from this event. |
| １５８７ | Edict expelling Jesuit missionaries. The Italian missionary, Organtino, hid in Murotsu, a territory of Konishi Yukinaga who was a Christian feudal lord. |
| １５９０ | The Mission of the Youths to the West in the Tensho Era returned. Its member Ito Mancio and Valignano landed and stayed in Murotsu to see Hideyoshi. |
| １６０７ | A record of the Reply and Prisoner Repatriation Envoy (Korean mission to Japan) and the landing of the Joseon mission to Japan on Murotsu (Kaisaroku). They called at the port 11 times until 1764. |
| １６３３ | The curator of the Dutch trading house visiting Edo became a regular event. There are many records of their visit to the Murotsu port. |
| １６３４ | The first Ryukyuan mission to Edo. There were 18 missions until 1850. |
| １６３５ | The system of Sankin-kotai was established. The port became popular and received many feudal lords in Western Japan. |
| １６９１ | A record of the German physician, Kämpfer, staying in Murotsu (The History of Japan). |
| １７００s | There were six Honjin inns for feudal lords in Murotsu (Record of the Takabatake family (Satsuma-ya)) |
| １７６６ | Yosa Buson visited Murotsu and made two Haiku poems (Buson poem collections). |
| １８０５ | Ino Tadataka surveyed coastlines like Murotsu and Nanamagari. |
| １８２２ | Visser, a clerk of the Dutch trading house, walked around Murotsu. A detailed record of his visit to Kamo Shrine (Nihon Fuzoku Biko). |
| １８２６ | The German physician, Siebold, landed in Murotsu with the curator of the Dutch trading house. He described Japan, including Murotsu (Nippon). |
| １８６２ | Okubo Toshimichi went to Tokyo for the movement to reform the government. He stayed at Murotsu Satsumaya. |
| １９１７ | Takehisa Yumeji sent two letters from Murotsu to his girlfriend, Hikono. |
| １９３０ | Tanizaki Junichiro stayed at Kimuraya Ryokan to research Murotsu (Rangiku monogatari). |
| １９３４ | Yanagida Kunio paid a visit on the day of the Kosatsuki Festival (Kokyo Shichijunen). |
| １９７４ | Eight buildings, including the Honden building of the Kamo Shrine, were designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. |
| １９７６ | Endo Shusaku visited to research about Konishi Yukinaga (Somatou). Shiba Ryotaro visited Murotsu for research (Kaido wo Yuku). |
| １９８５ | Murotsu Minzoku-kan opened. |
| １９９７ | Murotsu Kaieki-kan opened. |
Access
Take a taxi or rent a car from Himeji Station or Tatsuno Station. (JR Sanyo Main Line).
| 【 Shinkansen Nozomi 】 | About 45 minutes from Kyoto Station, About 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station, About 20 minutes from Okayama Station About 60 minutes from Hiroshima Station. |
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About 35 minutes from Himeji Station, About 20 minutes from Tatsuno Station.
Get off Tatsuno IC or Tatsuno-nishi IC. (Sanyo Expressway)
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