Today, I have come from Kokura to Moji Port, the gateway to the Kanmon Strait that stretches between northern Kyushu and Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Honshu. Seen in a wider scope, this region was the very first threshold for immigrants from the Korean Peninsula who attempted to enter the Seto Inland Sea, and since ancient times, for the local tribes it served as the front line of defense against incursions into Yamato, where the imperial court was located, making the guarding of this strait the entranceway that determined access.
Because of this, Kokura and northern Kyushu as a whole, being port towns, have historically fostered people with a rough temperament yet also of remarkable gentleness, forming unique communities. Today, the Kanmon Bridge connects Shimonoseki and Kokura, making passage easy, but in the past the scenery was filled with countless ships constantly crossing back and forth. And to travel southward via Usa Jingu Shrine toward Hyuga in Miyazaki—the very rootland of Emperor Jinmu—it was necessary to cross this strait; failing that, one had to circle widely around through the Goto Islands and reach Kumamoto or Kagoshima. Then, what was the true ancient history of this region? Strangely, despite its role as the front line of defense for the Japanese archipelago, much about it remains shrouded in mystery compared to other regions.