Aburatsubo

Aburatsubo (Jp:油壺, lit. "Oil vase") is an inlet on the west side of the Miura Peninsula, about one hour and a half by train from Tokyo. It exits into neighbouring Moroiso inlet.

History

During historic times, the Aburatsubo inlet was selected by the feudal Miura family to build a series of fortifications, with the Arai castle at its center. During the warring period of Sengoku, the castle fell after a 3 year siege to the rival Hōjō samurai family, in the year 1516. The Hōjō later managed to unify most of the Kantō area around Tokyo.

According to some stories, the name Aburatsubo ("Oil Vase"), comes from the time when hundreds of samurai, fleeing the troops of Hōjō, drowned in the waters of the inlet and left it a sea of blood.

Aburatsubo today

Aburatsubo is a "hurricane hole" where fishing boats from the area take refuge when a typhoon arrives. The calm, protected waters of the inlet suggest they are the actual reason behind the name "Aburatsubo"