Culture Sites and Facilities / Okinoshima Town
The mouth of Saigō Bay is narrow and its interior is wide, making it naturally a good harbor. From the Edo period (1603–1867) into the Meiji era (1868–1912), kitamaebune trading ships traveled along the Sea of Japan side of the country, and the Oki Islands were one of their stops. Saigō Port developed as a harbor where the boats could stop and wait for favorable wind. According to the writings of Lafcadio Hearn (known in Japan as Koizumi Yakumo), it was supposedly even more developed than Sakaiminato Port (Tottori Prefecture).
