The primary purpose of this special publication is to show how Eocene through middle Miocene strata of the Shimanto Belt were affected by the Cenozoic geothermal regime of southwest Japan. This introductory paper synthesizes the regional and local geologic framework, as it applies to detailed studies completed on the Muroto Peninsula of Shikoku. In particular, we focus on the temporal and geometric relations between peak heating events and discrete stages in the deformation history. Rocks of the Shimanto Belt display the effects of a complicated history of polyphase folding, faulting, and cleavage formation. Interpretations of the structural geology follow conventional...