Haiki Seto

Located in the southern part of Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, this narrow strait lies between Hario Island and the mainland to the east. It is about 11 kilometers long and around 400 meters wide. It is the eastern entrance that connects the waters of Omura Bay to Sasebo Bay and then to the open ocean, but compared to Inoura Strait (Harioseto) to the west, it is extremely shallow at just under 3 meters, and the tidal current is gentle, forming a river-like shape. Reclamation is progressing in Otebaru and Oda, narrowing the width of the strait. There are bridges at Sasebo and Haenosaki, and the former bridge is called Kancho Bridge, and National Route 202 passes over it. On the right bank of the Seto Inland Strait near Kanchobashi Bridge, the ancient Saki Tea Market, where seafood and land produce are bartered, is held four times in total, three times for nine days centered around May 8th, and one time for three days around June 8th. In 1897 (Meiji 30), the number of ships entering and leaving the Seto Inland Strait exceeded 3,000, but the opening of the railway the following year caused a sharp decline in traffic on the Seto Inland Strait.

[Yasuyoshi Ishii]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

長崎県佐世保市(させぼし)の南部に位置し、針尾島(はりおじま)と東の本土との間にある狭小な瀬戸。長さ約11キロメートル、幅400メートル内外。大村湾の水を佐世保湾に通じ、さらに外洋に通ずる東の出入口であるが、西の伊ノ浦瀬戸(いのうらせと)（針尾瀬戸）に比べ水深はきわめて浅くわずかに3メートル以下、潮流も緩やかで河川状をなす。大手原(おおてばる)、小田(おだ)では干拓が進み、瀬戸の幅を縮小している。早岐、南風崎(はえのさき)などに架橋があり、前者の橋を観潮(かんちょう)橋とよび、ここに国道202号を通ずる。観潮橋付近の瀬戸の右岸に、海の幸と陸の幸とを物々交換する古くからの早岐茶市が5月の8の日を中心に3回9日間、および6月8日を挟んで1回3日間の計4回開かれる。1897年（明治30）の茶市では、この瀬戸への出入船は3000を超えたが、翌年鉄道の開通によって瀬戸の交通量は激減した。

［石井泰義］

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