【Reading】ぶんごすいどう

【English Name】Bungo Channel

The Bungo Channel (Bungo Suido) refers to the sea area that spreads out where Oita Prefecture (on the Kyushu side) and Ehime Prefecture (on the Shikoku side) face each other. Its northern side faces the Iyo-nada of the Seto Inland Sea, and its southern side faces the Pacific Ocean including the Philippine Sea and the Hyuga-nada, placing it where the open ocean and the inland sea meet. The narrowest point, the Hoyo Strait (Hoyo Kaikyo), spans about 14 km from Sekizaki at Saganoseki in Oita City to the Sada Misaki cape in Ikata Town, Ehime Prefecture.

The sea area on the Ehime side is divided by the Yura Peninsula into the Uwa Sea to the north and the inner sea to the south. In the center of the sea area is the uninhabited Mizunoko Island, where a lighthouse is placed.

Because the currents of the Pacific Ocean and the seawater of the Seto Inland Sea cross here, the biota is extremely rich. Three species of dolphins inhabit it year-round, and the annual migration of humpback whales is also well known. It is also a sea area visited by the endangered loggerhead turtle for spawning, and the green sea turtle and hawksbill turtle have likewise been recorded.

With its swift currents and rich nutrients, this sea area is one of the production areas attracting attention even in the world of sushi as a fishing ground where firm-fleshed fish and shellfish grow.