Uraga Channel

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Map of Tokyo Bay, 1917
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Map of Tokyo Bay, 1917

The Uraga Channel (浦賀水道 Uraga-suido) is a waterway connecting Tokyo Bay to the Sagami Gulf. It is an important channel for ships headed from Tokyo, Yokohama, and Chiba to the Pacific Ocean and beyond.

At its narrowest, between Cape Kannon and Futtsu Point, the channel is 6 km wide. During the late Edo period, it was defended against foreign ships by twelve artillery batteries on both the Boso Peninsula and Miura Peninsula. Because of this, Matthew Perry's initial expedition to Tokyo stopped at Kurihama (in present-day Yokosuka), at the mouth of the channel.

The city of Uraga is located at the northern end of the channel.