A Summary of the Japan
Heritage Story

Banshu Ako,pioneer reagion
of the fine salt in japan.

Banshu Ako,pioneer reagionof the fine salt in japan.

In the Edo period, Banshu-Ako established irihama salt farms, which systematically exploited tidal forces to bring brine into salt evaporation ponds,for salt production.
The vast tidelands cradled by the gentle waters and weather of the Seto Inland Sea, made of high-quality sand carried from the mountains of Chugoku by the Chikusa River, were ideal for the development of irihama salt farms. This salt production technique spread along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea and grew to eventually dominate the market. Even when compared to the locally produced salt in each region, Ako’s salt became well known throughout the country as the best brand in Japan, and it was a huge boon to the city.
Ako’s history and culture, which developed alongside the salt generated from the Seto Inland Sea, live on today. Even now, Ako is a “land of salt.”