A historical island trip from Marugame. The Kasajima area is an old town lined with fine houses built by the island's carpenters.
Board the ferry at Honjima Kisen Ferry Pier in Marugame City.
Along the way, you can get a good view of the Great Seto Bridge from the boat, and the scenery of large ships passing by is also very beautiful.
When you arrive on the main island, you can rent a bicycle right away. You can do so at the waiting area just outside the port.
Shinzaike Beach is a spot where you can get a beautiful view of the Great Seto Bridge. You can also go down to the beach.
Head towards Kasashima while seeing the Great Seto Bridge on your right.
The view from Kasajima Port also offers a view of the clear blue sea.
The old streets of Kasajima are designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and old houses and buildings from the Edo period to the early Showa period remain.
The wooden houses remain unchanged from the past. The roads are narrow and winding like a spider's web.
There was also an art exhibition from Setouchi Triennale, so it was crowded with many tourists. A view of the Namako Wall.
Houses with real tiled roofs.
We also stopped by a free rest area that was renovated from an over 100-year-old traditional Japanese house, which is a collaboration with the Scandinavian interior brand Fritz Hansen.
Kasajima once flourished as a port town, but more than half of the houses are now vacant. How to utilize them in the future may be an issue.
It's about a 10-minute walk from Marugame Station to the ferry terminal. Ferry tickets go on sale 20 minutes before boarding. It's a 35-minute sea journey to the destination, the main island.
The main island is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, located exactly in the middle of Okayama Prefecture and Kagawa Prefecture, with a circumference of 16 kilometers. It is small enough that you can see everything in a day, and it has a location where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Great Seto Bridge from the side, as well as a unique and deep history, so it attracts many tourists from both within Japan and overseas.
The main island is filled with cultural properties designated by the country, prefecture, and city. In addition, Kasajima Townscape has been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
For transportation, there are rental bicycles available at the entrance to the island and a community bus.
The main island is the exhibition site for the Setouchi Triennale, so the number of tourists visiting to see the artworks increases during the period, but otherwise it is a peaceful island where cats lazily bask in the sun. Along the roads lined with the island's elementary and junior high schools, art created by local elementary and junior high school students is exhibited, providing a warm welcome.
We took the road along the sea to Kasajima, the most popular area on the island. Along the way, we could enjoy the spectacular view of the Great Seto Bridge and feel the pleasant sea breeze while cycling.
Kasajima is the only area in Kagawa Prefecture that has been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Located in the northern part of the island, the town is centered around a small port, and old buildings from the Edo period and later remain along the narrow alleys. There used to be a castle here, and the town was built as a castle town around the castle. The alleys are narrow and complex, in order to allow for attacks against enemies coming from the sea.
Lined with traditional townhouse architecture, it's a picturesque sight wherever you walk. As I walked through the alleys that still retain the atmosphere of the past, I was reminded of the prosperity of the main island at that time.
Tour the historical sites of the Shiwaku Navy, the maritime power that flourished in the Seto Inland Sea.
We start our tour of historical sites related to the Shiwaku Navy. The first one is the "Shiwaku Guard Station Ruins."
The inside is a museum. This is a historic building that was built in 1798, remodeled in 1860, and was used as the city hall until 1972.
A red seal letter from Oda Nobunaga. It states, "When a Shikoku ship enters Sakai Port (Osaka Prefecture), ships from other countries must open the perimeter to let the Shikoku ship through." In other words, the Shikoku ship had the right to occupy the waters around the ship.
Toyotomi Hidetsugu's red seal letter. There are seven other red seal letters on display at the Shiwaku Kinbansho ruins, including those from Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. These are valuable documents that show how important the Shiwaku Navy was to these famous warlords.
A model of the Kanrin Maru. The Kanrin Maru accompanied the Japanese mission as an escort ship to ratify the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan. Thirty-five of the 50 sailors on board were from Shiwaku.
Shioku Kinbansho includes the office and the elder guard room of the time. In front of the left veranda, you can also see the "oshirasu" where criminals were examined, and the remains of the prison, which is now open as a rest area. The main roof is a moat roof with real tiles. This is the only building in the whole country called a "kinbansho," and it has been designated as a national historic site.
"Grave of Irie Shirozaemon (memorial tower)". In those days when most people did not have surnames, the "Toshiyori" (elderly officials) who governed Shikoku were given surnames because they were the most powerful people in Shikoku. Irie Shirozaemon's contributions to the shogunate by governing the islands of Shikoku scattered in the Seto Inland Sea and leading the navy were great achievements that led to the Shiwaku people receiving a red seal letter guaranteeing their territorial rights.
The graves of the Miyamoto family, who are elders, are lined up next to the schoolyard of Motojima Junior High School. The Miyamoto family is a lineage of elders who were also active in overseas trade, and served as elders by hereditary succession for nearly 200 years until the position was established by bidding. The tallest grave in the center is that of the first generation, and subsequent generations have smaller gravestones due to the custom of not making their graves larger than their parents.
As we traveled around the island, we passed nurseries, elementary schools, and junior high schools decorated with handmade paintings and art. We were greeted with cute and heartwarming artwork.
Art using buoys, typical of the island, at Honjima Junior High School.
"Kokuu Shrine" in Tomari district. The stone torii gate facing the sea has a unique shape with rounded upwards on both sides. It was donated by the Miyamoto family, who were Shiwaku Toshiyori (seniors of the Shiwaku clan).
The shrine worship hall. It is the largest shrine building on the island.
The structure is also very impressive. On top of the sculpture of a dragon god being tossed about by the waves, there is also a sculpture of what appears to be a radish.
The main hall was built about 300 years ago, and its flying rafters create the beautiful curve of the roof.
The Chitoseza theater was built in the Edo period. It was a permanent theater that could be said to be a symbol of the prosperity of Shiwaku at the time. Traveling theater troupes were invited to perform here, and local young people would practice every night and put on plays.
There are many cats on the island. Some of them are used to people and will let you pet them.
Finally, we head to Meotokura, located on the west side of the island, in the direction of Ikunohama. The road has many ups and downs, and although there is almost nothing along the way, the sea is beautiful. If you are heading in this direction, an electric-assist bike is a must.
We arrived at Ikunohama. The sea is so blue I can't find the words to describe it... All we can hear is the sound of the waves and the wind rustling the trees. The water is so clear even though it's autumn. The temperature rose to nearly 30 degrees that day, so we might have been able to go into the sea...!
"Meotogura" (Futougera). This storehouse was owned by the Nagao family, who ran a shipping business, and was built by local carpenters. It is a luxurious structure for a storehouse, with two floors inside and namako-beam exterior walls. When viewed from the front, the double storehouse is perfectly symmetrical. According to locals, "There must have been many storehouses like this lined up along the seaside." It is a valuable relic that still preserves the prosperity of the island at that time.
At the Shiwaku Kinkansho, I received a book called "Shiwaku Navy's Island: Should I Come to the Main Island Once?" The book neatly summarises the history of the island and is a very interesting read.
The Shiwaku people established a government office to govern the islands that were their territory scattered across the sea. This was the "Shiwaku Kinbansho" and was the political center of Shiwaku. It is now a museum and is a highlight of Shiwaku history tourism. Valuable materials related to Shiwaku, such as red seal letters and ancient documents, are on display here.
The Shiwaku Islands, consisting of 28 islands of various sizes, did not belong to any feudal domain, and came to be run under a unique system known as the "Ninmyo System." A "myo" is a territory, and 650 people known as "Ninmyo" became lords, collectively protecting each island, and four of them were selected as "Toshiyori" to handle the government and management of the entire island. The "Toshiyori" were the most powerful people in Shiwaku, and worked hard for the islands, bringing prosperity to the islands through trade and other means. The "Ninmyo" graves that remain on the islands have tall, impressive headstones and are still revered by the islanders.
"Kokuu Shrine" is a shrine overlooking the sea, where you will be greeted by a uniquely shaped stone torii gate. There is the largest worship hall on the island and a theater called "Chitoseza" here. The Chitoseza in particular is a symbol of the prosperity of Shikoku.
The worship hall features elaborate carvings. Meanwhile, Chitoseza looks like an ordinary warehouse or barn at first glance. It is thought that this was due to the historical background of a time when it was not considered acceptable for common people to indulge in entertainment. Islanders often traveled to the city for shipping or carpentry work, and so had many opportunities to see performing arts, so they built a hut within the shrine grounds and enjoyed plays.
There are various mechanisms inside this stage, such as a rotating "revolving stage" and a mechanism that reveals a large, pillar-less 11-meter stage when the shutters are opened. The high level of perfection as a stage and the high level of construction by the Shiwaku carpenters have been highly evaluated, and it has been designated as a cultural asset by the city.
We also went to see the "Meotokura" (Futokura) on the west side of the island. There were some steep ups and downs along the way, but the "Nama no Hama" beach that spread out in front of the storehouse was so beautiful! There were hardly any people around, so we had the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea all to ourselves.
The "Meotogura" is a storehouse belonging to the Nagao family, who ran a firewood shipping business in this area to provide fuel for their households. Built by a local master carpenter, it is a rare two-storey storehouse with beautiful namako walls.
This also represents the wealth that Shiwaku's excellent seafaring skills brought, and is a historical relic that remains to this day.
"Honjima Stand" is an information hub that connects the main island with the world.
Take a break at Honjima Stand, a cafe near the harbor with a view of the ocean.
This cafe is run by CONNECT, an interior design shop in Marugame City that sells Scandinavian furniture. The Fritz Hansen An in Kasajima is also one of the projects run by CONNECT. It also serves as a base for spreading Scandinavian and Danish culture.
You can enjoy the view and your meal while watching the ocean in front of you and the ferries passing by. You can also see the Great Seto Bridge in the distance.
The popular "Smørrebrød" is a Danish open sandwich made with rye bread topped with a special sauce, plenty of organic vegetables, shrimp and egg, and topped with cheese like powdered snow.
The hot dog is stuffed with a generous amount of fried local fish. One third of the main island's population works in the fishing industry, but there are few restaurants that serve fish from the island, so this hot dog was created with the desire to incorporate fish into their cuisine.
Honjima Stand opened in November 2018 on the site of a former set meal restaurant. The concept is "a cafe where you can drink delicious beer while looking out at the sea." The cafe is designed to allow as many people as possible to experience the history and culture of Honjima, and to encourage more people to have ties to the island.
It was such a cozy cafe that I wanted to cross over to the main island just to be there.
Honjima Stand is a cafe located near Honjima Port in an area that could be considered the gateway to the island.
This is a cafe run by "CONNECT," an interior shop that carries Scandinavian designer brands.
You can see the Great Seto Bridge from both the indoor and terrace seats, so you can enjoy a beer or a barbecue while looking out to sea.
The most popular menu item is the Danish open sandwich "Smørrebrød." Also, sandwiched between hearty hot dogs are their signature frites made with fish caught by the island's fishermen.
CONNECT's relationship with Honjima began when the company began accepting students from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts as exchange students, triggered by the purchase of Danish furniture for its own company.
As the students stayed on the island, they gradually formed relationships with the people of the island, and learned about the island's beauty and rich history, as well as problems such as the vacant house problem and population decline. Hoping to help the island in some way, they opened Honjima Stand in November 2018. Currently, they are building a guesthouse on the island with the Danish students.
The project that CONNECT is carrying out on the island aims to allow people visiting the island to easily experience the island's history and culture through the power of design, and to create a connection between the people and the island. And Honjima Stand is a hub that embodies the company name "CONNECT" and connects the island with the world.
Read the second part here
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
