# Naruto whirlpools

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The **Naruto whirlpools** (鳴門の渦潮, *Naruto no Uzushio*) are tidal [whirlpools](/source/Whirlpool) in the [Naruto Strait](/source/Naruto_Strait), a [channel](/source/Channel_(geography)) between [Naruto](/source/Naruto,_Tokushima) in [Tokushima](/source/Tokushima_Prefecture) and [Awaji Island](/source/Awaji_Island) in [Hyōgo](/source/Hy%C5%8Dgo_Prefecture), [Japan](/source/Japan).[1] The strait between Naruto and Awaji island has a width of about 1.3 km (0.81 miles). The [strait](/source/Strait) is one of the connections between the [Pacific Ocean](/source/Pacific_Ocean) and the [Inland Sea](/source/Seto_Inland_Sea), a body of water separating [Honshū](/source/Honsh%C5%AB) and [Shikoku](/source/Shikoku), two of the main islands of Japan. The tide moves large amounts of water into and out of the Inland Sea twice a day. With a range of up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft), the [tide](/source/Tide) creates a difference in the water level of up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) between the Inland Sea and the Pacific. Due to the narrowness of the strait, the water rushes through the Naruto channel at a speed of about 13–15 km/h (8–9 mph) four times a day, twice flowing in and twice flowing out. During a [spring tide](/source/Spring_tide), the speed of the water may reach 20 km/h (12 mph), creating [vortices](/source/Vortex) up to 20 m (66 ft) in diameter.

The current in the strait is the fastest in Japan and the fourth fastest in the world after the [Saltstraumen](/source/Saltstraumen) outside [Bodø](/source/Bod%C3%B8) in [Norway](/source/Norway), which reaches speeds of 37 km/h (23 mph), the [Moskenstraumen](/source/Moskenstraumen) off the [Lofoten](/source/Lofoten) islands in [Norway](/source/Norway) (the original [maelstrom](/source/Whirlpool)) reaching 27.8 km/h (17.3 mph); and the [Old Sow whirlpool](/source/Old_Sow_whirlpool) in [New Brunswick](/source/New_Brunswick), [Canada](/source/Canada) with up to 27.6 km/h (17.1 mph).

The whirlpools can be observed from the shore on Awaji island, from tourist ships, or from the Uzunomichi Walkway of the 1985 [Ōnaruto Bridge](/source/%C5%8Cnaruto_Bridge) spanning the strait. The suspension bridge has a total length of 1,629 m (5,344 ft), with the center span over the strait having a length of 876 m (2,874 ft) and a height of 41 m (135 ft) above sea level.

The whirlpools inspired the name for [narutomaki](/source/Narutomaki) surimi.[2] Franziska Ehmcke, professor of Japanese studies at Cologne University, theorized that they also inspired the name of [Naruto Uzumaki](/source/Naruto_Uzumaki) from the manga and anime *[Naruto](/source/Naruto)*, "Uzumaki" (うずまき) meaning "whirlpool".[3] The storyline starts with building the Ōnaruto Bridge (大鳴門橋, *Ōnaruto-kyō*) into The Land of Waves (波の国, *Nami no Kuni*) which is based on the Ōnaruto Bridge spanning the Naruto Strait.

## See also

- [Tourism in Japan](/source/Tourism_in_Japan)
- [Narutomaki](/source/Narutomaki)

## References

1. Koseki, Tsutomu (March 4, 2025). ["Spring whirlpool season swells in west Japan's Naruto Strait"](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250303/p2a/00m/0li/008000c). *The Mainichi*. Retrieved 2025-04-12.

1. Tsuji & Müller 2019, p. 81.

1. Ehmcke, Franziska (2013). "The Traditional Naruto (Maelstrom) Motif in Japanese Culture". *Manga's Cultural Crossroads*. Hoboken: [Taylor and Francis](/source/Taylor_and_Francis). pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-1134102839.

## External links

- [Forum about schedule and tides](http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+49538+1+jp+104+0)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Naruto whirlpools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto_whirlpools) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto_whirlpools?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.