Theme

Bizen Province

A present-day road and houses along the old Sanyo highway in Kawabe, Mabi, Kurashiki

Japan

Sanyōdō: Eight Provinces, a Road, and an Inland Sea

From an ancient administrative circuit to the Saigoku highway, the history of Sanyōdō reveals how relay stations, waterways, and the terrain of Bizen connected Japan.

KAKUYU Editorial Team · September 27, 2026

Aerial view of mountains meeting the Seto Inland Sea in the modern Bizen region

Japan

Bizen Province, Part I — The Eastern Country Born from Kibi

Great tombs, a provincial capital, the San'yō road, salt, and stoneware: how the ancient state created the country called Bizen.

KAKUYU Editorial Team · September 25, 2026

Swordsmith facing the fire at a forge in Bizen Osafune

Japan

Bizen Province, Part II — Markets, Ports, Swords, and Clay

Medieval Bizen was more than warfare: the market at Fukuoka, the port of Ushimado, Osafune swords, and Inbe pottery made a country in motion.

KAKUYU Editorial Team · September 25, 2026

Portrait of Okayama lord Ikeda Mitsumasa

Japan

Bizen Province, Part III — Okayama Castle and the Ikeda House

Urban construction under the Ukita, new lords after Sekigahara, and Ikeda education and reclamation: how Bizen became part of Okayama Prefecture.

KAKUYU Editorial Team · September 25, 2026