Iki Channel

This stretches between the Higashi Matsuura Peninsula in northwest Saga Prefecture and Iki Island in Nagasaki Prefecture to the north. The distance between them is over 20 kilometers. Standing at the ruins of Nagoya Castle at the northern tip of the Higashi Matsuura Peninsula, you can see Iki Island in the distance and in the foreground the basalt plateau islands of Madara Island, Kakara Island, Ogawa Island, and Kabe Island. It is on the shortest route from Kyushu to the Korean Peninsula via Iki and Tsushima, and is also on the key route from the East China Sea to the Genkai Sea in Kitakyushu, making it a key transportation hub between Korea and the continent since ancient times. There are many things that tell the story of this, such as the Tajima Shrine on Kabeshima, the legend of Matsuura Sayohime, the Mongol invasions, and the Matsuura Navy, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi also established a frontline base for crossing into Korea in Nagoya. In the early modern period, Ogawa Island was known as the base for whaling in the Genkai region, but today squid, sea bream, sardines, yellowtail, sea urchins, abalone, pearls, and other fish are landed in the various waters. Ferry boats run from Karatsu East Port to Indoji Port on Iki (Ishida Town, Iki City), and there are lighthouses on Eboshi Island, which is at the east and west entrances to the strait, and on Futagami Island.

[Shigeru Kawasaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

佐賀県北西部の東松浦半島(ひがしまつうらはんとう)と、その北方、長崎県壱岐島との間に広がる水域。その間の距離は20キロメートル余。東松浦半島北端の名護屋(なごや)城跡に立つと、遠くに壱岐島が、手前には、馬渡島(まだらしま)、加唐島(かからじま)、小川島、加部島(かべしま)など玄武岩をのせた台状の島々が望まれる。九州から壱岐、対馬(つしま)を経て朝鮮半島に至る最短コース上にあり、さらに東シナ海方面から北九州の玄界灘(げんかいなだ)に至る要路にあるため、古来朝鮮、大陸方面との交通の要衝をなした。加部島の田島神社や、松浦佐用姫(まつらさよひめ)伝説、元寇(げんこう)や松浦党水軍などそれを物語るものが多く、豊臣秀吉(とよとみひでよし)もまた朝鮮渡海の最前線基地を名護屋に設けた。小川島は近世、玄界捕鯨の基地として知られたが、今日は各水域でイカ、タイ、イワシ、ハマチ、ウニ、アワビ、真珠などの水揚げをみる。唐津東港から壱岐の印通寺(いんどうじ)港（壱岐市石田町）までフェリーボートが通い、水道の東西出入口の烏帽子(えぼし)島と、二神(ふたがみ)島には灯台がある。

［川崎　茂］

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