Tomonoura has been a prosperous port since ancient times. Its unique circular harbor was preserved even after modern port facilities were introduced. Tomonoura lies within Tomokōen (鞆公園), which forms part of the Setonaikai National Park. In 2007, the port was listed as one of the top 100 scenic municipalities in Japan and its harbor was listed as one of the top 100 historical natural features in Japan.[citation needed]
There are many historical temples and shrines around Tomonoura, and the area is famous for red sea bream (真鯛, Madai) fishing.[2]
History
8 poems about Tomonoura are to be found in the oldest collection of Japanese poems, the Man'yōshū, compiled in the Tenpyō-hōji era.
Tomonoura was once given the nickname Shio machi minato which means "port of waiting for tides".[4]
Preserving the historic harbor
The local government had a plan to build a bridge over the scenic harbor for a bypass road, which caused conflict with members of the local community concerned about the preservation of the historic harbor. The plan has now been overturned by the Hiroshima District Court.[5][6][7][8] The plan led to the town being included in the World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund in 2002 and 2004. This organization later helped to restore a historic merchant house in the town with financial support from American Express. The 19th-century residence, known as Uoya-Manzo has since become an information center and guesthouse for visitors.[9]
