Beppu Bay - Beppuwan

A bay in the eastern part of Oita Prefecture, surrounded by the Kunisaki and Saganoseki peninsulas. Its name comes from Beppu Onsen at the back of the bay, but its other name, Grape Bay, was given by the Ming Dynasty man Nguyen Lin, who visited the area at the end of the Muromachi period, and refers to the shape of a lotus flower about to bloom. It is said that the original shape was an east-west rift zone or caldera, and it is thought that the eastern part collapsed and a volcano erupted in the western part, creating the U-shaped bay. The water is about 50 meters deep in the center and over 70 meters deep under Mount Takasaki. There are no islands, but there is a legend that Uryu Island and Hisamitsu Island, which were located off the coast of Oita and Beppu, sunk into the sea in the Keicho earthquake. Fish caught here include sardines, sea bream, flounder, and kuruma prawns. The prefectural capital, Oita City, is located on the delta of the Oono River and Oita River on the south bank, and a coastal industrial zone has been created by reclaiming shallow waters. Oita Port imports iron ore and oil, Saganoseki Port on the eastern end imports copper ore, and Beppu Port on the west bank handles many passenger ships. On the north bank are the old castle towns of Kitsuki and Hiji.

[Shunichi Kaneko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大分県東部、国東(くにさき)・佐賀関(さがのせき)両半島に囲まれる湾。その名は湾奥の別府温泉によるが、別名の菡萏(かんたん)湾は室町末期、この地に遊んだ明(みん)人阮林(げんりん)の命名で、ハスの花が開きかかった形を意味する。原形は東西方向の地溝帯、あるいはカルデラといわれ、東部が陥没、西部に火山が噴出して、U字形の湾ができたと考えられている。水深は中央部で50メートル前後、高崎山の下では70メートルを超える。島はないが、大分・別府沖にあった瓜生(うりう)島・久光(ひさみつ)島が慶長(けいちょう)の地震で海没したとの伝説がある。イワシ、タイ、カレイ、クルマエビなどの漁獲がある。南岸の大野川、大分川などのデルタに県都大分市があり、遠浅を埋め立てて臨海工業地帯が造成され、大分港は鉄鉱石・石油の輸入、東端の佐賀関港は銅鉱の輸入が多く、西岸の別府港は客船の出入りが多い。北岸には杵築(きつき)・日出(ひじ)の旧城下町がある。

［兼子俊一］

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