Setouchi City

Its ware is unearthed in Nara's capital.

Sabukaze Ancient Kiln Sites

01 ／ Yamatorige (山鳥毛)

A sword handed down in the Uesugi familyis now owned by this city.

A tachi by the Fukuoka Ichimonji school, active in Fukuoka in Bizen Province. It passed down in the Uesugi family as a favorite of Uesugi Kenshin and Kagekatsu, and has belonged to Setouchi City since March 22, 2020. It is not on permanent display; the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum shows it about once a year. Its FY2026 showing has ended.

City-owned since March 22, 2020
No permanent display; shown about once a year
Designated a National Treasure in 1952

02 ／ Bizen Fukuoka (備前福岡)

Fukuoka in Kyushu was named afterthe Bizen Fukuoka where the Kuroda lived.

Fukuoka City's official site explains that the Kuroda, who had lived in Fukuoka in Bizen Province, named their Chikuzen castle Fukuoka Castle after it. Bizen Fukuoka was a medieval castle town, and its layout still holds defensive features: houses set back in the "hida" folds, curving roads called "hizumi," and a single four-way crossing among T-junctions.

Site of the market in the National Treasure Ippen Shonin Eden
Layout of "hida," "hizumi" and T-junctions
A modern "Bizen Fukuoka Market" on the fourth Sunday monthly

03 ／ Chonichi-ji's Coin-Tossing Memorial Service (朝日寺の投げ銭供養)

When the deceased's posthumous name is read,kin toss coins onto the altar.

投げ銭供養.jpg — Photo by Chonichiji fan (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A summer memorial service, held for the war dead of member families and for newly departed souls at their first Bon. After the sutra chanting, a priest reads out the posthumous name and the sponsor's name, and relatives and acquaintances toss coins onto the altar. A city-designated folk cultural property, said to have begun in the Edo period.

City-designated folk cultural property
A rare rite, even nationally
Said to have begun in the Edo period

Living here

From Ushimado's port to Osafune, a blade-making district.

about 40,000 people

Ushimado, in the former Ushimado Town, was a port where Korean envoys called, and Honren-ji temple is a national historic site. The Bizen Osafune Sword Museum, in the former Osafune Town, shows traditional forging on the second Sunday of each month. Ushimado's autumn festival, on the fourth Sunday of October, features the Karako dance of Konoura.

People living here: 36,048people
Area: 125.46km²
Households: 14,068households
Rent (average for rentals): 46,247yen
Healthcare: 4 hospitals ／ 29 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —7 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 2 municipalities.

Setouchi City in Japan34.665°N 134.093°E

Territory of Setouchi City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

15.6km

岡山市, 備前市

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Setouchi City isthis kind of town.

01The Sabukaze Ancient Kiln Sites (寒風古窯跡群) in Ushimado are a national historic site where sue ware was fired for about 100 years, from the early 7th to the early 8th century. Anagama kilns over 10 m long, five of them, have been confirmed, and the sue ware fired here is also unearthed in the Nara capital.
02Osafune has been a sword-making area since the Kamakura period, and the city cites Chugoku Mountains iron sand, the Yoshii River's boat traffic and the Fukuoka market as distribution hubs behind Bizen swords. The Bizen Osafune Sword Museum shows Yamatorige, owned by the city, about once a year.
03Ushimado was a port where Korean envoys called in the Edo period, and Honren-ji temple served as their lodging. At the October Ushimado autumn festival, the Karako dance (唐子踊) of Konoura is offered at four places, including Yakujin Shrine.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Setouchi City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗