Suminoe no Tsu is the oldest international port in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

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Said to be opened by Emperor Nintoku

Emperor Nintoku

was the 16th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 313–399.-Legendary narrative:...

, Suminoe no Tsu was located on an inlet called Suminoe no Hosoe on the southern side of Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine

Sumiyoshi Taisha

, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Sumiyoshi ward in the city of Osaka, Japan. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan...

, in the south of current day Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

 city. Hosoigawa station of the Hankai Tramway

Hankai Line

The is a tramway in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. owns and operates the line.The line's name comes from and ....

 is located on the former site of the port.

East of Suminoe no Tsu is Japan's ancient capital, Asuka

Asuka, Yamato

was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture....

, in Nara Prefecture

Nara Prefecture

is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....

. In ancient times, Suminoe no Tsu was Japan's entrance into the Silk Road

Silk Road

The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...

. Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

 also entered Japan here. Japan's envoys to the Sui

Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....

 and T'ang

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

 dynasties of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 received divine protection from Sumiyoshi Daijin, the god of the sea, at Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, before departing.

One-Inch Boy from the fairy tail Issun-bōshi also departs from Suminoe no Hosoe. He heads into Suminoe no Kai (present day Osaka Bay

Osaka Bay

Osaka Bay is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait...

) then over to the Yodogawa River and up towards Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

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