Although Chugoku is grouped as one geographical region, it is actually divided down the center from east to west by the tall and rugged Chugoku Mountains.

Between the leeward side of the mountains and the tame Inland Sea is the San-Yo region with its balmy prefectures of Okayama-ken, Hiroshima-ken, and southern Yamaguchi-ken. The regions are not only distinct geographically, but culturally and historically as well. The San-Yo cities were from ancient times ports and major way stations along the trade route linking the empire with its southern territories and its all-important trading partners, Korea and China.

San-Yo Region
Today, a traveler in the San-Yo Region can move quietly along by the Shinkansen, which stops at Okayama. Only 20 km distant is Kurashiki and its old quarter, a living museum of ancient architecture, exposed ebony beams, and white plaster walls. Rickshaws can still be hired for slowly soaking up the sights in the intricate alleyways that meander through town. Farther west is Hiroshima, miraculously vibrant but displaying the horrors of the A-bomb site as a reminder of the dark past. Within a 50-minute bus ride is Miya Jima, the Sacred Island, framed by its floating torii. From olden times, the diminutive island was considered a place too sacred on which to die or be born. Here kamikaze pilots mustered spiritual strength before taking on their doomed assignments. On the western tip of Chugoku is Shimonoseki, a pragmatic city where travelers can catch the inexpensive ferry to Korea, from where they can travel into mainland Asia.

San-In Region
In the eastern regions of San-In are Shimane-ken Prefecture and the cultural city of Matsue, where can be found the home of Lafcadio Hearn, a turn-of-the-century writer whose subjects were "things Japanese." Here, too, is an impressive castle built by cousins of the Tokugawas, and close by in Izumo is Izumo Taisha Shrine, Japan's oldest Shinto shrine, where the gods gather in November on what can best be described as a heavenly vacation, leaving vacant their normal resting places throughout Japan. Seventy km off the coast of Matsue in the Sea of Japan are the Oki Islands, Dozen and Dogo, which attract few visitors but are known to insiders as rustic, uncluttered vacation spots. The largest tree in Japan, and by some accounts the oldest, is on Dogo, where it is lovingly wrapped in burlap to protect it from the cold and braced by stout beams that act like canes steadying an old man. Finally, there are the sand dunes of Tottori-ken, the most extensive in Japan. Here, where tourists ride camels, came the famous Japanese director Teshigawara to film his classic Woman of the Dunes. Crowning the San-In is glorious Mount Daisen, rising 1,713 meters and beckoning with its excellent skiing and hiking trails, along with Daisen-ji, its own mountain temple.

The Land and Climate
Like a toad sunbathing on a log, Chugoku turns its horny back of San-In on the Sea of Japan while it puffs its smooth San-Yo belly toward the sun of the somnolent Inland Sea. The Chugoku Mountains' windburned faces lean into the surf of the Japan Sea and extend all along the coast, making the harbors craggy and the land of San-In rocky and steep. The region enjoys no large flat plains and is pocked by small basins and gouged by steep river valleys. Here, the Gonokawa River flows tumultuously toward the sea, forming a passable route that has been a trade link since ancient times. San-In's one wide exception is the relatively large Izumo Plain, which forms the banks for Lake Shinji-ko at Matsue.

San-Yo is tame in comparison. The relatively large plains of Okayama and Hiroshima dip gently toward the Inland Sea, where the waters are calm and the harbors deep and wide. Hiroshima is actually the delta of the Otagawa River, where it breaks into six branches before emptying into the sea. The shoreline is embroidered with promontories, bays, and islets, and the inland areas are flatter and more hospitable, supporting agriculture and a more extensive transportation system.

Climate
San-In has relatively pleasant weather from spring to autumn. Summer days are bright and sunny. The beaches, although few, are clean and uncrowded. Winter, however, is nasty. The region is struck by the northwest monsoon, and the days are foggy with heavy clouds. Close to the mountains, the snowfall is considerable and the skiing is magnificent.

San-Yo, actually the north shore of the Inland Sea, enjoys mild weather year-round, and the region's annual rainfall is some of the lowest in Japan. Most days are sunny and bright.

History
Although Japan is an island nation, it never developed as a great seafaring power prior to the Meiji Restoration. Japanese sailors felt secure on the Inland Sea, where they were in constant view of land. Their ships were more like galleys, which relied on oarsmen, rather than the deepwater sailing craft of the great exploring nations of Europe. Population migrations, trade, communications, and a common culture moved readily along the shores of the Inland Sea, and thus throughout San-Yo.

In contrast, San-In was primarily reached by arduous overland routes. Arriving by ship meant braving the open waters of the oftentimes turbulent Sea of Japan, but once there, its harbors provided protected anchorage. Although San-In was one of the earliest populated regions of Japan and was totally integrated as part of the emerging nation, it played a much lesser role in the country's political development since it was so far from the seat of power. San-In's rich folklore speaks of an ancient civilization that served primarily as a spring to water the garden of Japanese culture that flowered in more hospitable areas. During a brief period in the 8th century, San-In became the center of the Izumo Court that had become preeminent under the Yamato kings. This period was marked by the construction of large tombs along the Japan Sea.

The Oki Islands, only a short ferry ride from Matsue, were considered so remote that they were used as islands of exile for deposed emperors such as Go-Daigo, who was sent there in the 14th century. Shimonoseki, overlooking the Kanmon Kaikyo straits in the far west, was the scene for two important battles that changed Japan's history. The first was the battle of Dannoura in the 12th century, when the powerful Minamoto (Genji) and Taira (Heike) clans clashed in their bid for power to unify Japan. The Minamoto were victorious, and thus began almost seven centuries of militaristic rule known as the shogunate. The period is immortalized by the epic narrative Heike Monogatari. It relates that when the battle was nearing its conclusion, the Lady Nii of the House of Heike took the young emperor Antoku into her arms and plunged from the castle battlements into the sea below rather than surrender. Her actions were considered tragic, but extremely noble.

Shimonoseki came into prominence again in 1863, but this battle put an end to shogunate rule close to the very spot where it had begun centuries before. The Choshu clan, considering Japan violated by the recent reappearance of Westerners, rallied under the battle cry of "Expel the Barbarians" and attempted to seal off the straits to foreign ships. In a grossly lopsided battle, American, English, French, and Dutch ships bombarded the port, bringing about its defeat in three days. The shogunate dissolved and the Meiji Era began, hurling Japan headlong into the 20th century.

Realizing its power as an emerging nation, Japan came into conflict with China in 1894 and with Russia in 1905. In both conflicts the Japanese fleet was based at Hiroshima, the safest western port for war. Chugoku served as an excellent staging area for Japanese troops sent to fight the Chinese, and later as a naval headquarters for Admiral Togo, the hero of the Russo-Japanese War, who annihilated the Russian Baltic Fleet in a narrow strait separating the two Tsu-shima Islands (see "History" in the general Introduction). Japan's rapid and heady ascendancy came to a shattering end in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb fell and reduced the once mighty city to a smoking cauldron.

Arts and Crafts
Chugoku boasts two of the most famous pottery centers in Japan: Bizen in Okayama-ken Prefecture and Hagi in Yamaguchi-ken. Bizen (Imbe) is a small town 35 km east of Okayama on the JR Ako-sen Line. Its history as a ceramics center dates back to the 9th century, making Bizen-yaki some of the oldest pottery in Japan. Bizen-yaki is distinguished by its deep brown hue, a result of firing the iron-rich clay found in the area. A second, less-favored type is light, off-white pottery. A distinctive feature of Bizen-yaki is created when pots are encircled by salt-soaked straw during the firing, producing the burnished irregularities so prized by collectors. Unfortunately, Bizen has no annual pottery fair like those typical of most pottery centers. To acquaint yourself with the pottery, visit: Bizen Ceramics Hall, Imbe, Bizen, Okayama (near Imbe Eki), tel. (0869) 64-1001, open 0930-1730, closed Tuesday, admission free; and Bizen Pottery Traditional and Contemporary Art Museum, 1659-6 Imbe, Bizen, Okayama, tel. (0869) 64-1400, open 0930-1700, ¥500.

Hagi city is located on the coast of Yamaguchi-ken Prefecture, 20 km east of Nagato. Hagi-yaki began as the spoils of the ill-fated war waged by Hideyoshi Toyotomi against Korea at the turn of the 16th century. Indentured Korean potters were taken to Japan, where they began recreating their masterly works in Japanese clay. Hagi-yaki is known for its translucent glazes; early works are distinguished by transparent yellow-green and hazy, milk white glazes, whereas modern works have turned to soft beige and muted pink. One quality of Hagi-yaki that is particularly delightful is the gentle transformation of the beige glaze into pink as the cups are used over the years. For well-done displays visit Hagi City Tourist Association, a 15-minute walk from Higashi-Hagi Eki, tel. (08382) 5-1750; and the Kumagaya Art Museum, 47 Imauotana-cho, Hagi (near Higashi-Hagi Eki), tel. (0838) 25-1750, open 0900-1700, closed the ninth and 19th of each month, ¥500 admission.

Kijigangu (wooden tops, dolls, and animals) are made at Iwami, in Tottori-ken Prefecture. The 12 gaily painted animals correspond to the months of the year, an adaptation of the 12-year cyclical Chinese calendar. Tsuchi ningyo (clay dolls), called koga-ningyo in Hiroshima, are fashioned after foreigners, namely Dutch and Chinese, who traded at the tiny island of De Jima during the Edo period. During their heyday, they were considered very exotic. A unique tora na gangu (paper tiger) is made at Izumo, Shimane-ken Prefecture. Compared to most, it is extremely well done, and it was depicted on the New Year's postage stamp in 1962. A master of tora no gangu is Tatsunosuke Tanaka of Tottori, who specializes in giving his tigers a full range of facial expressions from mirth to disappointment. A famous type of fune no gangu (decorated wooden boat) is made at Onomichi, Hiroshima-ken Prefecture. Called tanomobune, it is made of thick, wooden slats and mounted on wheels and is customarily given to baby boys on their first birthdays. It is a good luck omen depicting rice-laden junks that at one time sailed into the port of Onomichi. Omen (papier-mâché masks) are made throughout Tottori, but a particularly famous one is the Tengu omen (long-nosed goblin) mask of Kurayoshi. Others found in Tottori-ken city include a red orangutan with flax-fiber hair, considered a minor work of art. This mask bears an expression similar to that of a classic Greek comedy mask, and indeed other tengu-omen are used in Kabuki plays.