View source for Five harbors

*''Built: c. [[729]]-[[749]]''
*''Japanese'': 五泊 ''(go tomari, go haku)''

The "five harbors" (J: ''go tomari'' or ''go haku'') were five major ports built in the [[Nara period]], to aid in travel and shipping within the [[Inland Sea]]. Construction was overseen by the Buddhist monk [[Gyoki|Gyôki]], and the harbors were chosen so as to be roughly one day of travel apart from one another.

They included:
*[[Kawajiri]] (at the mouth of the [[Yodo River]], today part of [[Amagasaki]] City)
*Ôwada no tomari (later renamed [[Hyogo no tsu|Hyôgo no tsu]], and then [[Kobe]])
*[[Uozumi no tomari]] (at [[Akashi]])
*[[Kara no tomari]] (at the mouth of the [[Kakogawa]]; today part of [[Himeji]] City)
*[[Murotsu|Harima Murô no tomari]] (later called Murotsu; today part of Tatsuno City)

While several of these ports fell out of prominence in later centuries, Hyôgo and Murotsu remained major ports into the [[Edo period]], and Hyôgo (Kobe) remains one of Japan's most major port cities today.

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