Today I boarded a ferry from Tokushima Port, crossed to Wakayama Port, and then traveled on to Osaka for some errands. This maritime route linking Tokushima and Wakayama is one that I had long been interested in, because when considering how local tribal groups in Shikoku came into contact with the centralized royal authority of Yamato in ancient times, the existence of this sea route and the seafaring tribes that traversed it holds immense significance.