Saikaidō facts for kids
Saikaidō (西海道, literally, "western sea circuit") is a Japanese name for an old part of the country. It also refers to the main road that ran through this area. Think of it like a special region and a major highway all in one!
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History of Saikaidō
Saikaidō was one of the important "circuits" in an old Japanese system called Gokishichidō. This system helped the government manage different parts of the country. It was first set up a very long time ago, during the Asuka period.
Over many years, the government didn't use the Gokishichidō system as much for daily tasks. But the eight traditional regions, including Saikaidō, stayed important. They became well-known cultural areas that people recognized.
The Saikaidō road was like a main highway. It connected the capital cities of all the different provinces in this region. This made travel and communication easier.
Where is Saikaidō?
Saikaidō is the name for the geographic area of Kyūshū, which is a large island in Japan. Two other islands, Tsushima Island and Iki Province, were also part of this region.
Saikaidō included nine old Japanese provinces and two islands. These provinces were:
Earthquakes in the Saikaidō Region
Sometimes, big earthquakes are named "Saikaidō" when they cause a lot of damage in the Kyūshū region. Often, these quakes are named using the Japanese era name along with the region, like Saikaido.
Important Dates
- 8th century: Dazaifu was created as a government center for the island region. It was like the main office for the area.
- November 24, 1899 (Meiji 32): A big regional disaster happened. It was called the Saikaidō earthquake (西海道震, Saikaidō jishin).
- August 5, 1968 (Shōwa 43): Another regional disaster occurred. It was known as the Saikaidō-Nankaidō earthquake (西海道南海道震, Saikaidō Nankaidō jishin).
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