Ofunae Dry Dock Site

Built in 1663 at the mouth of the Kuta River in Tsushima, the Ofunae dry dock supported the So clan's trading monopoly between Japan and Joseon Korea. The complex held five docks used to maintain the trading vessels that shuttled goods between Tsushima and the So settlement in Busan. Ships could enter and leave at high tide, with repairs done at low tide. The So traded tropical spices and sappanwood obtained in Nagasaki for Korean silk, cotton, and medicinal roots, which then sold in Kyoto and Osaka. The stone embankments of four of the five original docks are still visible at the site.