Moroiso
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Moroiso (諸磯) is the name of an inlet in the Miura peninsula south of Tokyo in Japan.
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Prehistory
Moroiso was settled by Jomon people by at least 3.000 BC. Evidence from that period have been found, including sedentary to semi-sedentary housing, pottery, stone tools and fishing implements. Moroiso became the archeological name for the Early Jomon period of Japanese prehistory corresponding to the Moroiso pottery style, dated to around 5.000 years before present. The Moroiso period also coincides with the hypsithermal interval, the warmest period since the last glaciation, when sea levels were around 6 meters higher than today.
History
During historic times, the rugged and hilly Moroiso coastline, together with the adjoining 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 Hojo samurai family, in the year 1516. Hojo later managed to unify most of the Kanto area around Tokyo.
World War II
When the Second World War started, the Japanese Navy selected Moroiso as training school and harbour for a fleet of Kamikaze midget submarines, the Kairyu (海龍 "Sea Dragons"). They were supposed to be employed in suicide bombing missions against the US Navy during its final approach to Tokyo, but the war ended before any of them could see action.
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Today
Moroiso harbours a small fishing community and a few hundred pleasure boats on moorings or stored on the ground. With the neighbouring Aburatsubo inlet, Moroiso has been considered as the birthplace of modern recreational sailing in Japan.