Shimonoseki is located at the westernmost point of Yamaguchi Prefecture and the westernmost point of Honshū. It borders the Sea of Japan to the west and the Seto Inland Sea to the south. The narrow Kanmon Strait at Shimonoseki separates Honshu from Kyushu.

Shimonoseki is the largest harvester of fugu pufferfish in Japan, and you can eat this delicacy prepared in a myriad ways. The city’s lively Karato Market began as a fish market, and while it continues to focus on fish, farmers also sell their produce here.

At Mimosusogawa Park beside the Kanmon Strait are several interesting sights. There’s a dramatic statue of Taira no Tomomori who, defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, tied an anchor to his feet and leapt into the sea. Nearby is Minamoto no Yoshitsune who defeated him. Another statue depicts a celebrated swordfight between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō. There’s also a reconstruction of the cannons used in the attempt to drive off foreign ships.

History
Shimonoseki is part of the ancient Nagato Province. It has flourished since ancient times as the gateway to Japan from Asia. The Nihon Shoki records that the semi-legendary Emperor Chūai built a palace in Shimonoseki during the Kofun period. In Heian period documents, Shimonoseki is noted as a checkpoint controlling maritime access to the Seto Inland Sea. The Heike and Genji fought a decisive sea battle at Dan-no-ura near the present Kanmon Bridge, which the Heike lost. During the Muromachi period, the powerful Ōuchi clan was the protector of both Nagato and Buzen province in Kyushu and thus controlled trade and diplomatic missions from Ming China and Korea. 

In the Edo period, the area was part of Chōshū Domain controlled by the Mōri clan. At the end of the Edo period, the domain resisted both the Shōgunate and the imperialist powers and suffered attacks by joint naval forces from Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States in 1864. After the Meiji Restoration championed by Chōshū, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed in 1895 at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, when a defeated China ceded Taiwan, Penghu, and Port Arthur to the victorious Japanese. An Imperial decree in 1899 established Shimonoseki as an open port for trading with the United States and Great Britain. 

The Kanmon Roadway Tunnel between Shimonoseki and Moji was completed in 1958. The Kanmon Bridge linking Honshū and Kyūshū was opened in 1973.