Tainoura, Protected marine zone in Kamogawa, Japan

Tainoura is a stretch of coastal sea in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, running from Uchiura Bay to Inudosaki, where red seabream gather in water only 10 to 20 metres deep. The protected zone covers 200 hectares of sea and land, and fishing is banned inside it. Boats approach the shoals, which rise toward the surface around the hull.

The area gained protected status in 1922 to safeguard its exceptional fish schools. Its elevation to Special Natural Monument status in 1967 reflected growing recognition of the site's national importance as a marine habitat.

The name Tainoura comes from the legend that when Nichiren was born in Kominato, red seabream leapt and lotus flowers bloomed here; locals then called the sea Tainoura and banned fishing. Another story says that when Nichiren visited by boat to honour his parents and chanted the daimoku, the characters appeared on the water and a school of seabream ate them. Each January a Tai Kuyō ceremony is held, with boats going out to chant the daimoku over the fish.

Visitors can take regular sightseeing boats to observe the fish schools up close from the water. Morning visits are advisable for better visibility and more frequent boat departures.

The red seabream here display unusual behavior by remaining in shallow waters and swimming in dense groups, rather than solitary deep-water patterns seen elsewhere. This phenomenon makes the site a rare observation point for fish behavior that researchers continue to study.