is an

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

on the northeast coast of Chiba Prefecture that ranges from Cape Inubō in Chōshi to

Cape Gyōbumi is a Cape (geography), cape on the Pacific Ocean, in the Iioka district of the city of Asahi, Chiba, Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The cape is located at the very northern point of Kujūkuri Beach on the island of Honshu, and is protected as p ...

in Asahi. Byōbugaura is an important part of the coastal area in Chiba Prefecture, as it connects the northern point of the Pacific Ocean coast at Chōshi to Kujūkuri Beach, which covers a large portion of the western side of the prefecture. The name of the inlet is formed from the word " byōbu", the Japanese-style

folding screen A folding screen, also known as pingfeng (), is a type of free-standing furniture consisting of several frames or panels, which are often connected by hinges or by other means. They have practical and decorative uses, and can be made in a variet ...

, and "ura", meaning an inlet. Byōbugaura resembles the White Cliffs of Dover on the English Channel. For this reason the inlet is sometimes called , or "Dover of the East". Byōbugaura is known for its long history of marine erosion.

Description

Byōbugaura spans approximately , with precipitous cliffs that reach an altitude of . Three

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

are clearly visible on the cliffs of the inlet: the reddish Kantō Loam Stratum at the top, the Katori Statum in the middle, the chalky-white Iioka Stratum prominently on the cliff face, and the Naarai Stratum at the base. The Kantō Loam Stratum is red and is composed of material from volcanic eruptions of

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

and Mount Hakone, and the white portions of the cliff face consist of easily eroded clay.

Marine erosion

Byōbugaura is noted in Japan for its historical and ongoing marine erosion due to the geological character of the inlet and the near-constant violent waves of the Pacific Ocean in the area. About of land has been lost to erosion in the past 700 years. In modern times, in the 63 years between 1888 and 1951 of land have been lost. Tetrapods have been extensively installed at Byōbugaura to establish breakwaters, and have softened the retreat of land. The area of Byōbugaura on the border of Chōshi features marine caves, but most have also been lost due to marine erosion.

Sanuki Castle

Byōbugaura was used as a defensive position overlooking the Pacific Ocean as early as the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...

(1185–1333).

Tsuneharu Kataoka Tsuneharu is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Tsuneharu can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *常治, "usual, to manage" *常春, "usual, spring" *常温, "usual, to warm up" ...

(fl. 12th century), a grandson of the regional leader Taira no Tadatsune, used an area in front of the present-day location of Iioka Lighthouse on

to build Sanuki Castle. Kataoka plotted against the first Kamakura '' shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Kataoka, his family, and local supporters were defeated and killed at Sanuki Castle by members of the Chiba clan. The remains of the castle have been lost out to sea due to marine erosion.

Current usage

Byōbugaura makes up the southernmost part of

Suigō-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape (category V) according to the IUCN. Geography Suigō-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park covers an area in southeast Ibaraki Prefecture and north ...

, but because of the danger of violent waves off the inlet there are few recreational facilities built in the area. Byōbugaura, due to its dramatic coastal scenery and location near Tokyo, has been extensively used as a

filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wil ...

for

television dramas In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...

commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

, and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. The precinct of the Tokai Shrine, above the inlet in Chōshi, has an important

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

featuring the ''tabu'' species of laurel, castanopsis, and camellia, and is a Designated Natural Area of Chiba Prefecture. The areas above the inlet are also used for agricultural. The

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

around Cape Inubō is cultivated for

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

production.

Transportation

Byōbugaura can be reached by bus from

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

Chōshi Station is an interchange passenger railway station in the city of Chōshi, Chiba, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and also used by the private railway operator Choshi Electric Railway. Lines Chōshi Station is the easte ...

. The inlet can be viewed at the Chōshi Marina stop.

References