Shimotsui, a coastal district in the southern part of the Kojima area of Kurashiki City.
Today, it is known as a fishing town, with seafood such as octopus among its specialties. Shimotsui’s fishing history is said to be very old.
In the early modern period, Kitamaebune ships began calling at the port, and trade in cotton and herring meal became brisk. Shipping agents and other businesses lined the town’s streets.
It also became a hub on the sea route connecting Bizen and Sanuki, and many travelers are said to have visited Shimotsui to make the “two-shrine pilgrimage” to Yuga Daigongen and Konpira Daigongen.
Even today, many historic buildings remain in Shimotsui, evoking the bustle of its past as a port town. The people of Shimotsui are working to revitalize the community and region while preserving its historic streetscape.
Let’s take a closer look at Shimotsui’s history as a port town and efforts to preserve its streetscape.
The information presented was current when this article was published in August 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Overview of Shimotsui’s streetscape
Shimotsui is located in the southern part of the Kojima area of Kurashiki City. The district is characterized by its terrain, nestled between the Seto Inland Sea and mountainous areas.
The Seto-Ohashi Bridge runs through the eastern part of the district, with its starting point on the Honshu side here.
Since ancient times, Shimotsui has flourished as a port town around Shimotsui Port (also known as Shimotsui Minato). Many old buildings remain around the road that runs east to west through the district, preserving the atmosphere of a port town to this day.
History of Shimotsui’s streetscape
Shimotsui has a long history as a port town. Let’s explore its past.
Prosperity as a fishing port thanks to its geographical setting
Shimotsui Port originally flourished as a fishing port from ancient times.
The waters off the coast from what is now western Okayama Prefecture to eastern Hiroshima Prefecture lie near the center of the Seto Inland Sea. Because this is a place where currents from the east and west meet, fish were abundant.
In addition, the three major rivers of Okayama Prefecture—the Takahashi River, Asahi River, and Yoshii River—carried rich nutrients from inland into the sea, nourishing the fish.
The fishing port once used in Shimotsui was on the west side of the cape where Gion Shrine (Gion; the formal form of the first character uses the “礻” radical) now stands. The land curves westward from the cape to form a cove, making it a geographically ideal location for a port.
Shimotsui was well suited to fishing and had a naturally excellent harbor.
Kitamaebune ships called at the port during the Edo period, spurring trade
Shimotsui entered a new phase during the Edo period.
Kitamaebune ships began anchoring at Shimotsui Port.
The fishing port had been on the west side of the cape where Gion Shrine now stands. A new port was built on the east side of the cape, by Gion Shrine, for the Kitamaebune ships to anchor.
It made use of the curved coastline east of the cape where Gion Shrine stands.
Furthermore, the waters off Shimotsui lie close to the central part of the Seto Inland Sea, making them a point where the east-west currents change direction.
Shimotsui Port was ideal not only as a fishing port, but also as a “tide-waiting port,” where ships could wait for the currents to change. It was also a “wind-waiting port,” where ships could wait for favorable winds.
As Kitamaebune ships began anchoring there to wait for tides and winds, many shipping agents gathered in Shimotsui and began actively trading with them.
Shimotsui came to flourish not only as a fishing port and a place to wait for tides and winds, but also as a commercial port.
The main goods traded at Shimotsui Port included herring meal, dried sardines, cotton, and salt. Shimotsui sold cotton and salt to the Kitamaebune ships and bought herring meal and dried sardines from them.
Today, Shimotsui is located at the southwestern tip of the Kojima Peninsula. In fact, the Kojima Peninsula was originally an island called Kojima.
During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Ukita Hideie, lord of Okayama Castle, reclaimed part of the sea between Kojima and the mainland, known as Kibi no Anaumi. Then, during the Edo period, more and more of Kibi no Anaumi was reclaimed, eventually connecting Kojima to the mainland.
Because reclaimed land contains salt, cotton, which is salt-tolerant, came to be widely cultivated. Herring meal and dried sardines purchased from Kitamaebune ships were used as ideal fertilizers for growing cotton.
This created a cycle in which cotton harvested from the fields, as well as products made from cotton, were sold to Kitamaebune ships.
Salt was also sold, as salt fields were built around Kojima and salt production flourished.
A ferry port connecting Bizen and Sanuki
In addition to serving as a fishing port, tide-waiting port, wind-waiting port, and commercial port, Shimotsui also took on a new role as a passenger port. Shimotsui was located at the narrowest point between Bizen and Sanuki, where the distance between the two landmasses was shortest.
This made it the most convenient place to travel by boat between Bizen and Sanuki. It therefore became a ferry crossing between Bizen and Sanuki.
In the latter half of the Edo period, the “two-shrine pilgrimage” to Yuga Daigongen on Mt. Yuga in Kojima and Konpira Daigongen in Sanuki became popular. Many pilgrims are said to have gathered in Shimotsui, where the port town also had many inns.
Shimotsui became a hub for maritime traffic in all four directions. The Okayama Domain, which governed Shimotsui, regarded it as an important stronghold at the southern entrance to its territory.
In the early Edo period, the Okayama Domain built Shimotsui Castle to strengthen its defenses. However, under the Edo shogunate’s “one castle per province” policy, Shimotsui Castle was abandoned just 36 years or so after it was built.
In modern times, it served as a fishing and passenger port
After the Meiji Restoration, Japan began its path toward modernization, and Kitamaebune ships ceased operating in the first half of the Meiji period. Shimotsui then flourished as a fishing port and a passenger port connecting Honshu and Shikoku.
The Shimotsui Electric Railway also connected central Kojima with Shimotsui, improving the convenience of Shimotsui Port as a passenger port.
However, as automobiles became the main mode of transportation, the Seto-Ohashi Bridge opened in 1988. The Shimotsui Electric Railway was also discontinued, bringing Shimotsui’s role as a passenger port to an end.
Since then, Shimotsui has continued as a fishing town. Seafood caught in Shimotsui became known as a local specialty, with octopus becoming particularly famous.
Traces of the old port town still remain in Shimotsui
With the arrival of an automobile-centered society, no large-scale development took place in Shimotsui. In addition, since textiles were Kojima’s local industry, buildings such as the warehouses of former shipping agents were repurposed as textile workshops.
As a result, many old buildings that preserve traces of the town’s former prosperity as a port remain.
In 1986, Shimotsui’s streetscape was designated an Okayama Prefecture Streetscape Preservation District.
In 2017, it became a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage story “A Kurashiki story beginning with a single cotton flower: A textile town woven from Japanese and Western influences”.
Then, in 2018, it became a component cultural property of the Japan Heritage story “A different world entwined with the dreams of men who overcame the stormy seas: Ports of call for Kitamaebune ships and shipowner settlements”.
The “Shimotsui-bushi,” sung by Kitamaebune ship captains, as well as the “dedicated offerings at Gion Shrine” and the “Shimotsui Gion Documents,” are also component cultural properties of Japan Heritage.
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