Shimonoseki

Japan

Also known as: Akamaga-seki, Bakan

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Article History

Shimonoseki, city, southwestern Yamaguchi ken (prefecture), far western Honshu, Japan. It occupies a strategic position on the Kanmon (Shimonoseki) Strait between Honshu and Kyushu. Kitakyūshū lies opposite Shimonoseki across the strait.

The city, the most populous in the prefecture, was formerly called Akamaga-seki and Bakan. Its modern development began in 1905 with the opening of railroad ferry service to Moji (now in Kitakyūshū), Kyushu; later links include a railroad tunnel (1942) and a vehicular-pedestrian tunnel (1958) under the strait. An international ferry service opened between Shimonoseki and the port of Pusan (Busan), South Korea, in 1970.

Shimonoseki became a heavy industrial centre after 1942, and in 1940 its port was amalgamated with those of Moji and Kokura into the single port of Kammon. During the 1970s the Shinkansen (“New Trunk Line”) railway service linking Tokyo with Ōsaka was extended to Shimonoseki, en route to northern Kyushu through an underground tunnel beneath the strait. A road bridge also connects Shimonoseki and Kitakyūshū.

The city’s attractions include the Shimonoseki Aquarium. The Akama Shrine hosts an annual festival in April commemorating the defeat at the city site of the Taira (Heike) clan in the 12th century. Pop. (2000) 301,097; (2010); 280,947.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.