STORY #039
The coastline along the Japan Sea is dotted with many port towns framed by beautiful mountains These seaside towns developed as ports of call along the Western Sea Circuit, a major shipping route connecting Osaka and Hokkaido via the Seto Inland Sea and Sea of Japan coast during the late Edo to Meiji periods.
Braving the rough seas, merchant Kitamae-bune shipowners amassed great wealth and prosperity, eventually building magnificent residences. In many towns, large merchant houses and ship-owner mansions stand along the main streets, while a maze of backstreets connect the rest of the town to the sea. Ema, (wooden votive tablets), painted with ship designs and ship models, have been dedicated at the shrines and temples along the route.
Many festivals as well celebrate distant ports and towns with melodic folk songs that connect the entire region.
The development of these unique ports of the Kitamae-bune shipping routes brought prosperity to many areas of the coast and continue to attract popular interest to this day.