Koshikijima Islands

Koshikijima Islands
topographic map of the islands
Waters	East China Sea
Geographical location	31 ° 46 ′  N , 129 ° 48 ′  E Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′  N , 129 ° 48 ′  E
Number of islands	3 larger, various smaller ones
Total land area	118.68 km²
Residents	5576 (2010)

The Koshikijima Islands ( Japanese 甑 島 列島 , Koshikijima-rettō ) or Koshiki Islands ( 甑 列島 , Koshiki-rettō ) are a chain of islands belonging to Japan in the East China Sea , a little more than 20 km west of Kyūshū . Administratively, the islands belong to the municipality of Satsumasendai . However, ferry connections only exist to and from Ichiki-Kushikino .

Islands

The archipelago consists of three larger islands and some smaller ones, especially in the north. These are:

Surname	Japanese	Area [km²]	Height [m]	Coordinates
Kami-Koshikijima	上 甑 島	45.08	423.3	31 ° 51 '  N , 129 ° 53'  E
Naka-Koshikijima	中 甑 島	7.29	296, 0	31 ° 47 ′ 55 "  N , 129 ° 49 ′ 39"  E
Shimo Koshikijima	下 甑 島	66.27	603.6	31 ° 42 '  N , 129 ° 44'  E
Benkeijima	弁 慶 島		?	31 ° 46 ′ 23 "  N , 129 ° 49 ′ 56"  E
Chikajima	近 島		92.5	31 ° 51 ′ 4 ″  N , 129 ° 57 ′ 2 ″  E
Futagojima	双子 島		62.2	31 ° 51 ′ 44 "  N , 129 ° 58 ′ 36"  E
Inujima	犬 島		6.0	31 ° 52 ′ 28 "  N , 129 ° 57 ′ 14"  E
Kaseto	筒 島		31, 0	31 ° 52 ′ 1 ″  N , 129 ° 57 ′ 12 ″  E
Kojima	小島		?	31 ° 49 ′ 0 ″  N , 129 ° 51 ′ 41 ″  E
Kojima	小島		31, 0	31 ° 48 ′ 52 "  N , 129 ° 54 ′ 11"  E
Nakajima	中 島		112.8	31 ° 49 ′ 34 "  N , 129 ° 50 ′ 28"  E
Nojima	野 島		97.8	31 ° 51 ′ 57 "  N , 129 ° 57 ′ 38"  E
Oki-no-shima	沖 の 島		48, 0	31 ° 51 '53 "  N , 129 ° 59' 3"  E
Yurajima	由 良 島		42, 0	31 ° 44 ′ 35 "  N , 129 ° 45 ′ 19"  E
Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

history

Districts

The archipelago is first mentioned in Shoku Nihongi , when the ruler of the Hayato 769 who lived there was given court rank . In 1889 the eight villages on the northern main island of Kami-Koshikijima (including Naka-Koshikijima) and the six villages on the southern main island of Shimo-Koshikijima were merged to form the two villages of the same name. In 1891 the eastern district of Sato ( 里 (村) ) was spun off again from Kami-Koshikijima and in 1949 the northern district of Imuta ( 藺 牟 田 ) from Shimo-Kishikijima as Kashima ( 鹿島 村 ). In 2004 all four villages, together with Sendai , Hiwaki , Iriki , Tōgō and Kedōin , were merged to form the new community Satsumasendai .

Culture

On the island of Shimo-Koshikijima, the New Year's ceremony Koshikijima no Toshidon ( 甑 Insel の ト シ ド zu ) takes place, in which adults dressed up like demons go from house to house as a child horror figure to scold the children for their wrongdoings and preach good behavior. When they say goodbye, they give the children mochi . This custom was included in the list of masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2009 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} 甑 島 地域 離島 振興 計画 (“ Funding plan for remote islands in the Koshikijima region”). (PDF; 558 kB) Kagoshima Prefecture, accessed on August 3, 2016 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ Heights and coordinates according to the official topographic map
3. ↑ 弁 慶 島 （上 甑 島） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
4. ↑ 近 島 （里 村） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
5. ↑ 双子 島 （里 村） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
6. ↑ ^{a b c} 野 島 ・ 筒 島 ・ 犬 島 （里 村） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
7. ↑ 小島 ・ 小 ヶ 倉 鼻 （里 村） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
8. ↑ 沖 の 島 （里 村） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
9. ↑ 由 良 島 ・ ダ ン ガ イ 島 （鹿島 村） . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
10. ↑ 歴 史 概要 . In: koshikijima.net. 甑 島 観 光 協会 , accessed September 29, 2012 (Japanese). 
11. ↑ Koshikijima no Toshidon. UNESCO, accessed on October 19, 2018 .