Japan is an island country (maritime nation) in the western Pacific Ocean, comprising four large islands, dozens of medium-sized islands and about 14 000 smaller islands.
The largest island is Honshu, which is also the body of Japan, and within it are the cities of Nara, Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo, which have long served as capital cities.
As the country is divided into a number of islands, until about 80 years ago the only way to get from one island to another and to transport goods was by boat. Although the other side of the channel is visible, it is still a considerable distance away and the currents in the channel are so strong that it has only been possible to build huge bridges in the last 50 years or so.
(Even today, direct travel by car is not possible between Honshu and Hokkaido.)
The Kanmon Tunnel (for railways), which connects Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the westernmost point of Honshu, to Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, on the opposite coast, Kyushu, was opened in 1942. At the time, it was the world’s first undersea tunnel.
Sixteen years later, in 1958, the Kanmon National Highway Tunnel was opened for vehicles and pedestrians, followed in 1973 by the Kanmon Bridge, a long bridge, and in 1975 by the Shin-Kanmon Tunnel, which will serve the bullet train. Honshu and Kyushu have become continuation islands that can be accessed without any hassle.
When the first tunnel was opened in 1942, people praised those involved in the construction, calling it a ‘corridor leading to the Ryugu(龍宮)’ in front of the line leading into the sea. (※ Ryugu means ‘Dragon Palace’. Legendary dragons in Japan are said to live in the sea or lakes.)
The city of Shimonoseki and that much may not be familiar to people abroad. However, some may think of it as “the place where the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi fought his duel with Sasaki Kojiro on a small island”.
Shimonoseki is also famous for its ‘puffer fish cuisine’. This cuisine is perfect for the cooler months, so it is a good idea to make it one of your travel objectives. (※ Pufferfish cooking requires a high level of skill, so choose a proper restaurant.)
One more topic. As Shimonoseki City is located in front of the rapids in the Kanmon Straits, there are anecdotes related to it.
It was in these waters that the decisive battle of the Genpei War, a domestic war that took place 840 years ago, resulted in the destruction of the Taira clan, and the Akama Shrine was built here to repose their souls.
The folklore of ‘Hoichi the Earless’, which was based on this historical fact, was also made known abroad in later times by ‘Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn)’. ※ 「Hoichi the Earless」Wikipedia
Lafcadio Hearn, who travelled the world with racial egalitarianism at his core, became a naturalised citizen of Japan with a strong yearning for the country. The Koizumi surname is inherited from the family name of the Japanese woman who became his wife, while the name Yakumo is named after a Japanese myth from Shimane Prefecture.
He was a writer who compiled and introduced to the rest of the world Japanese culture, folk tales and old ghost stories, which were still little known at the time, and finally ended his life in Japan.
The house where he lived in Shimane Prefecture has been designated an important national historic site since his death and is still preserved and open to the public…
Let’s return to the topic of Shimonoseki.
About 20 km north of the Kanmon Bridge is the town of Kawatana. It is a small town sandwiched between the sea and the mountains, but it is a quiet and atmospheric hot spring resort known by those in the know as Kawatana Onsen-kyo.
The town is not associated with fancy attractions or gorgeous facilities, so it is not suitable for those who want those things. However, it is popular with those seeking a peaceful journey and healing experience.
Quiet… and somewhat rustic spa town.
One person who never stopped loving this town of Kawatana was the wandering haiku poet “Taneda Santouka”(1882〜1940年).
He overcame an unhappy childhood and became recognised as a writer and haiku poet, but fell due to his family’s bankruptcy and his own weakness. Despite his abundant talent, he spent most of the second half of his life travelling around like a beggar.
His haiku, which seem to depart from formalism and express his innermost feelings as they are, have captured the hearts of many.
The poems are somewhat lonely in their unhappy lives, but always full of gentle, pastoral lyricism.
〜The hot water this morning was also good, quiet, hot, flowing and overflowing, jumping into it, stretching out your arms and legs, This is what leisurely life is all about.〜(free translation)
Although his life was tossed about by anguish and loneliness, the emotions he experienced on each journey may have been the driving force and healing force that propelled him on to the next journey.
〜O flowers in the fields, I’ll learn to be a part of the soil here.〜(free translation)
Above all, the river shelf seems to have brought him so much peace of mind that it must have inspired his desire to spend the rest of his life here.
〜Walking towards the rising cloud〜
(Santouka’s last haiku:free translation)
One last person. Let’s mention the world-renowned pianist “Alfred Cortot “(1877-1962.), who loved Kawatana.
Born in Switzerland and based in France, Cortot was an intellectual and daring man whose genius nature meant that his playing was sometimes steeped in his own interpretations.
Although he was therefore disregarded by those who valued old-fashioned formal beauty, the beautiful tone and intonation of the music he spun out moved many supremely.
Cortot had an early interest in Japanese sentiment and had longed to visit Japan, but due to the effects of the Second World War and other factors, this dream was not realised for some time. It was not until 1952, when he was 74 years old, that his wish was finally fulfilled and he came to Japan.
Korteau was already approaching old age, but at his own request, concerts were held in various parts of Japan over a period of two months. He was particularly fond of the town of Kawatana, where he stayed during a concert in Shimonoseki: ‘I have seen the beautiful seas and mountains of the world, but I have never seen such beautiful scenery. For some reason, I don’t feel like I am in a foreign country. Japan is a [vrai pays] real country.’ He said.
He was particularly taken by the peaceful atmosphere of the offshore island of Atsu.
He even went so far as to surprise everyone around him by directly approaching the then mayor of Kawadana village and saying, ‘I want to live quietly on that heavenly island and live out my life there. I would like you to sell it to me.’ and I want you to sell it to me’.
At first people laughed it off as a Western-style joke, no matter how famous the musician was, but Cortot’s passion never waned and the village chief, struck by his earnest enthusiasm, replied, ‘If you love the island so much that you want to live there for the rest of your life, I will give it to you free of charge’.
Cortot was so moved by this reply, and by the village’s proposal to name the island specially 「孤留島(Korutou / Cortot-island)」, that even after returning to Japan with his kindness and friendship in his heart, he is said to have said, ‘There is an island in Japan bearing my name’ and ‘I will definitely go to Japan again and return to the island of my dreams’.
Due to illness and old age, Corteau died in June 1962, having failed to return to Japan.
Alfred Cortot was born in his own country, but loved distant Japan and the Kawadana region. His love for the distant ‘vrai pays’ of the Orient may still be quietly alive on the island.
Shimonoseki is a town overlooking the straits. And it is a town surrounded by much history and folklore.
As mentioned above, Kawatana is an ordinary, quiet country town, but for some reason there seems to be something about it that makes it easy for people involved in the arts to connect with each other.
What is it? If you have the opportunity to visit Shimonoseki and Kawatana, feel it with your senses…