The research of the Middle Age marine transportation and the circulation in the Kii Channel and tneighboring area

2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 18520495
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Osaka Kyoiku University
• Principal Investigator: WATANUKI Tomoko Osaka Kyoiku University, department of education, professor (40314447)
• Project Period (FY): 2006 – 2007
• Keywords: the medieval marine transportation / circulation / the Kii Cannel / a marine transportation base / Dnimotu-ura / the Naruto Strait

Research Abstract

The Kii Cannel and neighboring area are a crucial passage between the Inland Sea of Seto and the Pacific. In pre-modern ages of Japan, it functioned as a center in the western turn passage. However the significance of the marine transportation in the Middle Age has overlooked. This project focused on the examination of the medieval marine transportation and the actual condition of the circulation based on historical records about Awaji Province, Izumi Province, Kii Province, Awa Province and Tosa Province which were seaside provinces. Due to the limited historical records on the medieval marine transportation, the historical records of the manor in those provinces are utilized, too. For example, the historical records and the materials on the manor in the temples and shrines such as Royasan and Iwashimizu-hachimangu are included in this project. Marine transportation had been used for military action, thus the historical records on the marine transportation is included as well. It extracted an anchor ground which became a marine transportation base of each province, and examined the view of the marine transportation and the circulation. There are a passage via Daimotu-ura and a passage via the Naruto Strait in the passage to connect the Inland Sea of Seto. It was possible to confirm that the transfer-station place of the latter which was overlooked. The research result shows that Awaji Province southwest area had played an important role in the sea transportation. Also, it clearly shows that Tosa Province, Awa Province, and Kii Province became the supplying district for lumber and forest resources. In the former research, the passage connected Tosa Province and Izumi Province was used in the Inland Sea of Seto after the Ounin period. However, this project shows that this passage was used as an important commercial aisle of Japan's-domestic channel form the earlier days.