Place · sea

Kanmon Straits

Also known as Strait of Shimonoseki

The Kanmon Straits are the narrow strait between Honshu and Kyushu in Japan, linking the Inland Sea with the Sea of Japan, with Shimonoseki on the north shore and Kitakyushu on the south. The naval Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185 was fought there, and in 1863–1864 Western warships bombarded the Chōshū batteries that tried to close the strait. Today tunnels and a bridge cross it.

Kanmon Straits
Image: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kokura Domain

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kanmon Straits. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kanmon-straits
MLA
“Kanmon Straits.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kanmon-straits. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kanmon Straits.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kanmon-straits.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kanmon Straits’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kanmon-straits (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻