Enshu Nada Sea

This is an area of ​​sea facing the Enshu region in western Shizuoka Prefecture. It once referred to the area stretching from Cape Iro at the tip of the Izu Peninsula to Cape Daio in Mie Prefecture. However, geographically speaking, it is the mouth of Suruga Bay to the east and Ise Bay to the west, so the Enshu Nada is the area stretching from Omaezaki to Cape Irago on the Atsumi Peninsula. It is also called Tenryu Nada or Totomi Nada. There is a continental shelf and shallow bank off the coast of Omaezaki, and a submarine valley off the Tenryu River, which are good fishing grounds for whitebait. The Nankai Trough runs offshore, and its deep seabed was the epicenter of major earthquakes such as the Meio, Hoei, Ansei, and Tonankai earthquakes. The coastline facing the Enshu Nada Sea is smooth, with coastal sand dunes developed from Omaezaki to the Nakatajima Sand Dunes west of the Tenryu River estuary, but west of Shiomisaka in Kosai City, the coast has receded significantly and turned into sea cliffs. In addition to the important port of Omaezaki and the regional port of Hamana, there are fishing ports in Fukude and Maisaka. During the Edo period, there was also Kaketsuka Port at the mouth of the Tenryu River on the maritime route from Osaka to Edo, but it was feared as a dangerous place to cross at sea.

[Kitagawa Mitsuo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

静岡県西部、遠州地方に面する海域。かつては伊豆半島先端の石廊(いろう)崎から三重県大王(だいおう)崎に至る海域をさしていた。しかし地理的にみれば、東は駿河(するが)湾、西は伊勢(いせ)湾の湾口となるため、御前崎(おまえざき)から渥美(あつみ)半島伊良湖岬(いらごみさき)に至る海域が遠州灘である。天竜灘、遠江灘(とおとうみなだ)ともいう。御前崎沖の大陸棚や浅堆(せんたい)、天竜川沖の海底谷などがあり、シラス漁場となる。沖合いには南海舟状海盆が走り、その深海底は明応(めいおう)、宝永(ほうえい)、安政(あんせい)、東南海など大地震の震源地となった。遠州灘に面する海岸線は平滑で、御前崎から天竜川河口西部の中田島砂丘まで海岸砂丘が発達するが、湖西(こさい)市潮見坂以西は海食崖(がい)となり海岸の後退が著しい。重要港湾御前崎港、地方港湾浜名港のほか、福田(ふくで)と舞阪(まいさか)に漁港がある。江戸時代は、大坂から江戸への海上ルートで天竜川河口に掛塚港(かけつかみなと)もあったが、海の難所として恐れられていた。

［北川光雄］

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