🗺️ Salt Bounty Vigilance Station Ruins塩飽勤番所跡

The Shiohama Islands were granted autonomy by the rulers of the time, including the Warring States period warlords Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who established the Edo Shogunate. After the Shiohama navy was active on the historical stage during the Warring States period, the Shiohama Kimbansho was established in 1798 as the institution responsible for managing the affairs of the Shiohama Islands. Three leaders were selected from the 650 boatmen of the Shiohama Islands to take turns executing the relevant administrative duties. Entering the Meiji period, the Shiohama Kimbansho officially became a government institution of the Honjima village and was designated as a national historic site in 1970. The site of the Shiohama Kimbansho covers an area of approximately 1,488 square meters, surrounded by white earthen walls and longhouse gates. To this day, it retains the main building and the red seal warehouse, which were renovated in 1860, among other ancillary structures. The interior of the main building is now open to the public as the Shiohama History Museum. The museum displays items brought back from the United States by the crew of the ship "Kanrin Maru," as well as valuable historical documents such as the red seal certificates issued by rulers like Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Kanrin Maru was a junior warship owned by the shogunate navy and accomplished the historic feat of being the first to cross the Pacific Ocean in Japanese history.

Three leaders were selected from 650 boatmen who once lived in the Amami Islands to alternately govern this institution's site. It was designated as a national historic site in 1970. Currently, the main building is open to the public as a history museum, showcasing valuable historical materials such as the shuin (朱印状) and items brought back by the crew of the Kanrin Maru (咸臨丸) from the United States.