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Tomonoura is a harbor in modern-day Fukuyama City, [[Hiroshima prefecture]], which historically was a significant [[Inland Sea]] port and [[jokamachi|castle town]]. It was a port of call along the [[Western Circuit]] shipping route of the ''[[kitamaebune]]'', and a formal maritime post-station (''umi no eki''), regularly hosting ''daimyô'' on ''[[sankin kotai|sankin kôtai]]'' journeys and [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo|Ryukyuan]], [[Korean embassies to Edo|Korean]], and [[Dutch embassies to Edo]], as well as shogunal officials and official shogunal cargo shipments.

Tomonoura is a harbor in modern-day Fukuyama City, [[Hiroshima prefecture]], which historically was a significant [[Inland Sea]] port and [[jokamachi|castle town]]. It was a port of call along the [[Western Circuit]] shipping route of the ''[[kitamaebune]]'', and a formal maritime post-station (''umi no eki''), regularly hosting ''daimyô'' on ''[[sankin kotai|sankin kôtai]]'' journeys and [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo|Ryukyuan]], [[Korean embassies to Edo|Korean]], and [[Dutch embassies to Edo]], as well as shogunal officials and official shogunal cargo shipments.

Even since ancient times, Tomo's natural geography made it an ideal harbor for ships to wait for the right winds and tides. As early as [[1607]], the town is said to have been fairly densely packed, the homes "like the teeth of a comb,"<ref>Aono Shunsui 青野春水, "Edo jidai Tomo-chô no seiritsu to kôzô" 江戸時代鞆町の成立と構造, ''Tomo no tsu Nakamura-ke monjo mokuroku IV'' 鞆の津中村家文書目録 IV (2009), 252, citing ''Haecha lu'' (海槎録), a record by Korean envoy Gyeong Chilsong<!--慶七松-->.</ref> at a time when nearby ports such as [[Mitarai]] are said to have had no elite houses at all, developing a sizable population only in the 18th century.<ref>Kimura Yoshisato 木村吉聡 (ed.), ''Ryukyu shisetsu no Edo nobori to Mitarai'' 琉球使節の江戸上りと御手洗, Shiomachi kankô kôryû Center 潮待ち館観光交流センター (2001), 3.</ref> Korean envoys visiting Tomo ten years later (in [[1617]]) wrote that Tomo was even greater than [[Shimonoseki]].<ref name=aono252>Aono, 252.</ref>  

Even since ancient times, Tomo's natural geography made it an ideal harbor for ships to wait for the right winds and tides. As early as [[1607]], the town is said to have been fairly densely packed, the homes "like the teeth of a comb,"<ref>Aono Shunsui 青野春水, "Edo jidai Tomo-chô no seiritsu to kôzô" 江戸時代鞆町の成立と構造, ''Tomo no tsu [[Nakamura-ke nikki|Nakamura-ke monjo]] mokuroku IV'' 鞆の津中村家文書目録 IV (2009), 252, citing ''Haecha lu'' (海槎録), a record by Korean envoy Gyeong Chilsong<!--慶七松-->.</ref> at a time when nearby ports such as [[Mitarai]] are said to have had no elite houses at all, developing a sizable population only in the 18th century.<ref>Kimura Yoshisato 木村吉聡 (ed.), ''Ryukyu shisetsu no Edo nobori to Mitarai'' 琉球使節の江戸上りと御手洗, Shiomachi kankô kôryû Center 潮待ち館観光交流センター (2001), 3.</ref> Korean envoys visiting Tomo ten years later (in [[1617]]) wrote that Tomo was even greater than [[Shimonoseki]].<ref name=aono252>Aono, 252.</ref>  

[[Tomo castle]] was built in 1607 as well; it featured a three-story tower keep (''tenshu''), Ôtemon, and ''yagura''. [[Fukushima Masanori]] granted the castle and an associated 8,131 ''[[koku]]'' fief to his retainer [[Ozaki Genba|Ôzaki Genba]], who in turn likely had some 342 retainers under him.<ref name=aono252/> Though the castle's main keep was torn down in [[1619]] in keeping with the "one castle per domain" policy of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], Tomo nevertheless continued to develop as a castle town. By the end of the 17th century, it was divided into seven districts within the castle's outer moats: Hara-machi, Kaji-machi, Ishii-machi, Seki-machi, Michikoshi-machi, Nishi-machi, and Eura-machi. As in many castle-towns, these were divided into areas directly associated with the castle, samurai residential neighborhoods, and townsmen (commoner) neighborhoods. After one further castellan, [[Mizuno Katsutoshi]], Tomo came to be overseen not by a "lord" but by a Magistrate known as the ''Tomo bugyô''. A man named Hagino Shin'emon was the first to hold this post. From that time forward, the town began to shift once more away from being organized as a castle-town, towards a more dominant port-town character.<ref>Aono, 253.</ref>

[[Tomo castle]] was built in 1607 as well; it featured a three-story tower keep (''tenshu''), Ôtemon, and ''yagura''. [[Fukushima Masanori]] granted the castle and an associated 8,131 ''[[koku]]'' fief to his retainer [[Ozaki Genba|Ôzaki Genba]], who in turn likely had some 342 retainers under him.<ref name=aono252/> Though the castle's main keep was torn down in [[1619]] in keeping with the "one castle per domain" policy of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], Tomo nevertheless continued to develop as a castle town. By the end of the 17th century, it was divided into seven districts within the castle's outer moats: Hara-machi, Kaji-machi, Ishii-machi, Seki-machi, Michikoshi-machi, Nishi-machi, and Eura-machi. As in many castle-towns, these were divided into areas directly associated with the castle, samurai residential neighborhoods, and townsmen (commoner) neighborhoods. After one further castellan, [[Mizuno Katsutoshi]], Tomo came to be overseen not by a "lord" but by a Magistrate known as the ''Tomo bugyô''. A man named Hagino Shin'emon was the first to hold this post. From that time forward, the town began to shift once more away from being organized as a castle-town, towards a more dominant port-town character.<ref>Aono, 253.</ref>

A group of Elders (宿老, ''shukurô'') served as representatives of the townspeople, akin to village headmen, though it is unclear whether they were selected by the townspeople, or appointed by the domain. They concerned themselves with the general livelihoods of the people, conveyed the townspeoples’ wishes, and took part in a variety of regular activities of the town. The Elders were also the chief figures present when receiving the lord of Fukuyama, or seeing him off, when he visited Tomo, including when he was leaving for or coming back from ''sankin kôtai''; giving him formal greetings at the teahouse, ''Tomo bugyôsho'', or ''bansho''; giving greetings on both celebratory and non-celebratory occasions, including on New Year’s; and receiving and seeing off the ''Tomo bugyô'' or ''metsuke'' on certain occasions.<ref>Aono, 255.</ref>

A group of Elders (宿老, ''shukurô'') served as representatives of the townspeople, akin to village headmen, though it is unclear whether they were selected by the townspeople, or appointed by the domain. They concerned themselves with the general livelihoods of the people, conveyed the townspeoples’ wishes, and took part in a variety of regular activities of the town. The Elders were also the chief figures present when receiving the lord of Fukuyama, or seeing him off, when he visited Tomo, including when he was leaving for or coming back from ''sankin kôtai''; giving him formal greetings at the teahouse, ''Tomo bugyôsho'', or ''bansho''; giving greetings on both celebratory and non-celebratory occasions, including on New Year’s; and receiving and seeing off the ''Tomo bugyô'' or ''metsuke'' on certain occasions.<ref>Aono, 255.</ref>

One of the chief famous local products (''[[meibutsu]]'') is a form of medicinal liquor called ''[[homeishu]]'' (保命酒). The Nakamura family, known for their ''homeishu'', also hosted ''daimyô'', Ryukyuan embassies, [[Fall of Seven Nobles Incident|court nobles]], and other elite visitors in a set of buildings which together functioned as the town's ''[[honjin]]''; two of those buildings are today known as the Ôta family house (''Ôta-ke jûtaku'') and the Chôsôtei, and have been designated National [[Important Cultural Properties]].<ref name=shirarezaru41>''Shirarezaru Ryûkyû shisetsu'' 知られざる琉球使節, Fukuyama-shi Tomonoura rekishi minzoku shiryôkan (2006), 41.</ref> Another establishment in the town, known as the Neko-ya, was run by ''[[goyo shonin|goyô shônin]]'' in service to the [[Shimazu clan]], and also regularly provided accommodations to the Shimazu and to Ryukyuan missions.<ref>''Shirarezaru Ryûkyû shisetsu'', 45.</ref> Headed in each generation by Neko-ya Kiyosuke<!--猫屋清助-->, the shop specialized in marine products.

One of the chief famous local products (''[[meibutsu]]'') is a form of medicinal liquor called ''[[homeishu]]'' (保命酒). The [[Nakamura-ke nikki|Nakamura family]], known for their ''homeishu'', also hosted ''daimyô'', Ryukyuan embassies, [[Fall of Seven Nobles Incident|court nobles]], and other elite visitors in a set of buildings which together functioned as the town's ''[[honjin]]''; two of those buildings are today known as the Ôta family house (''Ôta-ke jûtaku'') and the Chôsôtei, and have been designated National [[Important Cultural Properties]].<ref name=shirarezaru41>''Shirarezaru Ryûkyû shisetsu'' 知られざる琉球使節, Fukuyama-shi Tomonoura rekishi minzoku shiryôkan (2006), 41.</ref> Another establishment in the town, known as the Neko-ya, was run by ''[[goyo shonin|goyô shônin]]'' in service to the [[Shimazu clan]], and also regularly provided accommodations to the Shimazu and to Ryukyuan missions.<ref>''Shirarezaru Ryûkyû shisetsu'', 45.</ref> Headed in each generation by Neko-ya Kiyosuke<!--猫屋清助-->, the shop specialized in marine products.

For a brief time in the early [[Edo period]], Tomo was also home to a designated inn maintained by the factor of the [[British East India Company]] based in [[Hirado]]. When Korean missions stopped in Tomonoura on their way to and from Edo, the Korean lead envoy typically stayed in a guest room at the Buddhist temple of Fukuzen-ji<!--福善寺-->; the guest room was known as Taichôrô (対潮楼), and is said to have offered a beautiful view of the Inland Sea. Many plaques, works of calligraphy, and the like given as gifts from Korean envoys remain in the temple's collection today.  

For a brief time in the early [[Edo period]], Tomo was also home to a designated inn maintained by the factor of the [[British East India Company]] based in [[Hirado]]. When Korean missions stopped in Tomonoura on their way to and from Edo, the Korean lead envoy typically stayed in a guest room at the Buddhist temple of Fukuzen-ji<!--福善寺-->; the guest room was known as Taichôrô (対潮楼), and is said to have offered a beautiful view of the Inland Sea. Many plaques, works of calligraphy, and the like given as gifts from Korean envoys remain in the temple's collection today.