This April marks the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Great Seto Bridge. The structure that is built over the strait alone is 9.4km long. As seen in the photograph, it is a magnificent sight. The first beam after the bridge leaves Honshu-Island stands on an island called Hitsuishi-jima. It is only 1km opposite the shores of Shimotsui, but it is in this 1km where the issue lies. To our amazement, at about the middle of this distance is a border line between Okayama Prefecture where Kurashiki-City belongs and Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku Island. What is the reason for this strange narrowness of the shores of Shimotsui?

There is a legend concerning the sea area off the shores of Shimotsui. It dates back to the Edo period when the border between Okayama and Kagawa was not clear. Two feudal domains, Bizen of Okayama and Sanuki of Shikoku, decided to draw a line between their sea areas. They dropped a barrel in the ocean and drew a border on the course it floated. The main character of this legend is Hikokuro Kanno of Kojima. He was an actual person who, using his extraordinary courage and intelligence, contributed to bringing about a judgment in favor of Bizen when deciding the sea area around an important fishing ground at Oozuchi Island.

Following the decision at Oozuchi Island, Hikokuro set out to settle the territorial waters off the shores of Shimotsui. Using a barrel was Hikokuro's idea. He had studied the course the barrel takes in advance and learned that the barrel flows way off the shores of Hitsuiishi-Jima Island to the west into the sea of Mizushima. This would award Bizen plenty of sea area. Confident of his findings, Hikokuro brings up the barrel floating idea with the Sanukis who agrees and the day arrives to drop the barrel. However, the barrel kept floating towards Shimotsui. Hikokuro became inpatient--. The following quote is from a book by Naoichi Kadota who has left many valuable books and documents as a local historian:

"Hikokuro was astounded, but it was too late. The man of intelligence, not being a fisherman, did not take into account the change of tide and he was told by the triumphant Sanukis, 'You know nothing about tides. They change by the hour. Should this taken place an hour later, the barrel would have floated the course you projected. However, a deal is a deal and we suppose you have no objection.'" (from "Watashi no Bisanseto" by Naoichi Kadoda)

It's too interesting to be true, but I ask to spare the people of Okayama and Kurashiki from collectively being labeled as "shrewd" or "a little foolish" from this story. This legend widely believed by the people of Kurashiki actually has no historical evidence to back it up. Instead, I have come across a historical fact completely different from that in the legend while studying a book by Mr. Tsunoda on the sea area off the shores of Shimotsui.

This area of the Inland Sea between the shores of Shimotsui to the shores of Marugame of Shikoku has been called "Shiwaku." The islanders of this region had always taken pride in their excellent skills of shipbuilding, seamanship, and military. Their skills were used by those in power from time to time and Shiwaku had enjoyed its returns. Most notable of such returns was a system called "Jinmei" awarded by Hideyoshi Toyotomi to the Shiwaku Islands. It gave the inhabitants of the islands, who did not belong to the class of warriors, the right of ownership and administration over its lands.

This privilege continued into the Edo Period under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Shiwaku was independent from local feudal districts and was exempted from land taxes. Such favorable treatment during an era of strict control cannot be found in any other district. Naturally, the people of Shiwaku dominated the fishing grounds of the area. The Shimotsui fishermen on the opposite shore were confined to fishing in a very small area. Further hardship befell on the fishermen of Shimotsui in 1645.

Along with the above mentioned Hitsuiishi-jima are three islands; Mukuchi-jima, Matsu-shima, and Kama-shima; facing Shimotsui. Shiwaku claimed jurisdiction over these three islands. Their claim would terminate fishery in Shimotsui. Shimotsui decided to seek a decision by the Shogunate. As a result, the three islands were officially approved as belonging to Bizen. The border between Okayama Prefecture and Kagawa Prefecture was not a course a barrel floated. It was a consequence of a historical dispute over territory between the Shiwaku Islands and Shimotsui.

Why was such legend created? I wish to end by introducing an excellent hypothesis in Mr. Naoichi Kadota's book:

"'How narrow the ocean of Bizen is!' People of Kojima lamenting their misfortunes, whether knowingly or unknowingly of the incident of long ago, entrusted their fate in Hikokuro Kanno who was a hero to them. While the gamble was only in a made up story, a looser must accept their fate. The people of Shimotsui tried to understand reality as chance rather than through knowledge. Since then on, the legend of the floating barrel has survived serving the function of acceptance and acknowledgement of reality among the Bizen Kojima people."(from "Watashi no Bisanseto")