(a) Yura Fortress
The Yura Fortress consists of three separate groups of fortifications built in the 1890s to defend the Kitan Strait. The fortress takes its name from Yura, a port on Awaji Island. The fortifications were spread across Yura, the site of the garrison command; the four-island cluster of Tomogashima spanning the strait; and Miyama in Kada. In addition to multiple gun batteries, the fortress had a searchlight station and redoubts to protect the batteries themselves from attacks from the sea.
(b) View across the Kitan Strait
Kada offers a magnificent panoramic view over the Seto Inland Sea. On a clear day, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge—the suspension bridge that connects the mainland to Awaji Island—is visible about 40 kilometers away. Nor far offshore is the four-island cluster known as Tomogashima, while behind them is the 53-kilometer-long Awaji Island. To the southwest are the Shikoku Mountains on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. The view is particularly beautiful at sunset.
(c) Topography of the Jogasaki Coast
The rocky coast around Cape Jogasaki and the Tomogashima island cluster is notable for its jagged washboard-like topography, which appears at low tide. The rock formation consists of alternating layers of harder sandstone and softer shale. Tilted at an angle by the movement of the Earth’s crust, the uneven topography is the result of erosion of the exposed shale layer by the waves. There are numerous fossils in the rock and abundant marine life in the tidal pools.