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= Hachijo-jima =
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Introduction
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is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. It is about
south of the special wards of Tokyo. It is part of the Izu archipelago
and within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Its only municipality is
Hachijō. On 1 March 2018, its population was 7,522 people living on 63
km2. Some inhabitants speak Hachijō language, which is considered an
endangered language and the number of speakers is unknown. The island
has been inhabited since the Jōmon period, and was used as a place of
exile during the Edo period. In modern times, it has been used for
farming sugarcane and housing a secret submarine base during World War
II; it is now a tourist destination within Japan.
Hachijō-jima receives about of precipitation annually. With a humid
subtropical climate, and an average high temperature of , the island
and the surrounding ocean support a wide variety of sea life, birds,
mammals, plants, and other life. The tallest peak within the Izu
Islands, a Class-C active volcano, is located there. Transportation to
the island is either by air or ferry. There are many Japanese-style
inns, hot spring resorts, and hotels to accommodate tourists and
visitors. The island is a popular destination for surfers, divers and
hikers. It has several local variations on Japanese foods, including
shimazushi and kusaya, as well as many dishes that include the local
plant ashitaba.
Location
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Hachijō-jima is about south of the Izu Peninsula--or about south of
Tokyo--in the Pacific Ocean. The smaller island of Hachijō-kojima is
northwest of Hachijō-jima, and can be seen from the top of Nishiyama.
Mikura-jima about to the north and Aogashima about to the south. The
island is within the boundaries of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
Municipalities
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The only municipality on the island is the town of Hachijō, which
encompasses both Hachijō-jima and the neighbouring Hachijō-kojima,
though no one lives on the latter. The town is divided into five
areas: Mitsune (三根), Nakanogo (中之郷), Kashitate (樫立), Sueyoshi (末吉),
and Ōkago (大賀郷).
Population
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The population of Hachijō-jima on 1 March 2018 was 7,522.
Language
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The language spoken historically on Hachijō-jima is one of the most
divergent forms of Japanese; it is the only surviving descendant of
Eastern Old Japanese. The number of speakers is not certain; it is on
UNESCO's list of endangered languages, and is likely to be extinct by
2050 if counter-measures are not taken.
Funga, flora, and fauna
=========================
The island is home to bioluminescent mushrooms, including 'Mycena
lux-coeli'--meaning "heavenly light mushrooms"--and 'Mycena
chlorophos'. 'M. lux-coeli' are widely found and for decades were
believed only to exist on the island. The local name for the mushrooms
is 'hato-no-hi', literally "pigeon fire". Many different plants are
native to the island, including the pygmy date palm, aloe, freesia,
hydrangea, hibiscus, Oshima and Japanese cherry, and bird of paradise.
Since November 2015, humpback whales have been observed gathering
around the island, far north from their known breeding areas in the
Bonin Islands. All breeding activities except for giving births have
been confirmed, and research is underway by the town of Hachijō and
the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology to determine
whether Hachijō-jima may become the northernmost breeding ground in
the world, and possible expectations for opening a future tourism
attraction. Whales can be viewed even from hot springs. Indo-Pacific
bottlenose dolphins, likely (re)colonised from Mikura-jima, also live
around the island, among other cetaceans such as false killer whales,
sperm whales, and orcas (being sighted during humpback whale research
in 2017).
The waters around the island are important for the nourishment of
green sea turtles, as well as Hamatobiuo (a type of flying fish).
The Izu thrush makes its home on the island, as does the Japanese
white-eye. The island has been recognised as an Important Bird Area
(IBA) by BirdLife International because it also supports populations
of Japanese wood pigeons, Japanese murrelets, Pleske's grasshopper
warblers and Ijima's leaf-warblers.
Climate
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Hachijō-jima has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate
classification 'Cfa') with very warm summers and mild winters.
Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower
in winter.
Geology
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Hachijō-jima is a compound volcanic island that is 14.5 km in length
with a maximum width of 8 km. The island is formed from two
stratovolcanoes. --also called --has a height of and was active from
100,000 BC to around 1700 BC. It has eroded flanks and retains a
distinctive caldera.
--also called --has a height of . It is the highest point on the
island and the tallest peak in the Izu island chain. The summit is
occupied by a shallow caldera with a diameter of 400 m and a depth of
around 50 m. It is rated as a Class-C active volcano by the Japan
Meteorological Agency with recent eruptions recorded in 1487,
1518-1523, and 1605, with seismic activity as recently as 2002.
Between these two peaks are over 20 flank volcanoes and pyroclastic
cones.
History
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Hachijō-jima has been inhabited since at least the Jōmon period, and
archaeologists have found 'magatama' and other remains. Under the
Ritsuryō system of the early Nara period, the island was part of
Suruga Province. It was transferred to Izu Province when Izu separated
from Suruga in 680. During the Heian period, Minamoto no Tametomo was
banished to Izu Ōshima after a failed rebellion, but per a
semi-legendary story, escaped to Hachijō-jima, where he attempted to
establish an independent kingdom.
During the Edo period, the island became known as a place of exile for
convicts, most notably Ukita Hideie, a 'daimyō' who was defeated at
the Battle of Sekigahara. Originally the island was a place of exile
mainly for political figures, but beginning in 1704 the criteria for
banishment were broadened. Crimes punishable by banishment included
murder, theft, arson, brawling, gambling, fraud, jailbreak, rape, and
membership of an outlawed religious group. Criminals exiled to the
island were never told the length of their sentences, and the history
of the island is filled with foiled escape attempts. Its use as a
prison island ended during the Meiji Restoration: after a general
amnesty in 1868 most of the island's residents chose to move to the
mainland; however, the policy of banishment was not officially
abolished until 1881.
Former U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant visited the island during his
1877 world tour. The island's residents were aware of his exploits in
the American Civil War and gave him a jubilant welcome. He was
ceremonially adopted by the village chief, being given the name ;
meaning "courageous general" in the local dialect, and was presented
with prayer beads made with pearls and gemstones. He declared that the
island's residents were the "friendliest people in the Pacific".
In 1900, pioneers from Hachijō became the first inhabitants of the
Daitō Islands, where they established a sugarcane farming industry.
The Hachijō language is still spoken on the islands to this day.
During World War II, the island was regarded as a strategic point in
the defense of the ocean approaches to Tokyo; and in the final stages
of the war, a base of operations for the 'Kaiten' suicide submarines
was founded on the southern coast. From the end of the war through the
1960s, the government made attempts to promote Hachijō-jima as the
"Hawaii of Japan" to encourage tourist development, and tourism
remains a large component of the island's economy.
A historical mystery
======================
There is a small mystery regarding the history of Hachijō-jima, of
potential significance to the history of women's rights. Etsu Inagaki
Sugimoto, a well known autobiographer from the early 20th century,
states in
'[
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/395534.A_Daughter_of_the_Samurai
A Daughter Of The Samurai]' that the island was commonly known in
Japan during her childhood for being a place where standard gender
roles were reversed; women did heavy field work and "made laws", and
men tended the home and children. The mystery is that no other source
mentions this. A brief quote to illustrate the significance of the
information:
:'We have a whole island where women do men's work from planting rice
to making laws.'
:'What do the men do?'
:'Cook, keep house, take care of the children, and do the family
washing.'
:'You don't mean it!' exclaimed Miss Helen, and she sat down again.
:But I did mean it, and I told her of Hachijo, a little island about a
hundred miles off the coast of Japan, where the women, tall, handsome,
and straight, with their splendid hair coiled in an odd knot on the
top of the head, and wearing long, loose gowns bound by a narrow sash
tied in front, work in the rice fields, make oil from camellia seeds,
spin and weave a peculiar yellow silk, which they carry in bundles on
their heads over the mountains, at the same time driving tiny oxen,
not much larger than dogs, also laden with rolls of silk to be sent to
the mainland to be sold. And in addition to all this, they make some
of the best laws we have, and see that they are properly carried out.
In the meantime, the older men of the community, with babies strapped
to their backs, go on errands or stand on the street gossiping and
swaying to a sing-song lullaby; and the younger ones wash sweet
potatoes, cut vegetables, and cook dinner; or, in big aprons, and with
sleeves looped back, splash, rub, and wring out clothes at the edge of
a stream. LCC Card No 66-15849, pp 202-203
Transportation
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Hachijō-jima is accessible both by aircraft and by ferry. In 2010 a
pedestrian ferry would leave Tōkyō once every day at 10:30 pm, and
arrive at Hachijō-jima at 8:50 am the following day. Air travel to
Hachijojima Airport takes 45 minutes from Tōkyō International Airport
(Haneda). In 2000, there were three metropolitan roads on
Hachijō-jima: 215 (formally, 東京都道215号八丈循環線), 216 (都道216号神湊八重根港線, 8.3
km), and 217 (東京都道217号汐間洞輪沢港線).
Notable landmarks
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The island is home to the Hachijo Royal Resort, a now-abandoned French
baroque-style luxury hotel that was built during the tourism boom of
the 1960s. When the hotel was built in 1963 it was one of the largest
in Japan, and attracted visitors from all over the country. The hotel
was finally closed in 2006 due to declining tourism to the island. As
of April 2016, the grounds were overgrown and the building severely
dilapidated.
The contains displays covering the history of the island, local
industries, as well as the animals and plants found on and around the
island. The is a botanical and animal park next to the Hachijojima
Visitors Center.
Activities and accommodation
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In 2005, accommodation on Hachijō-jima was plentiful, with many
Japanese-style inns, hot spring resorts, campsites, and several larger
hotels. Hachijō-jima is popular with surfers, with three reef breaks
and consistently warmer water than mainland Japan because of the
Kuroshio Current. Because Hachijō-jima is a volcanic island, there are
several black sandy beaches, including one next to the main harbour of
Sokodo.
Hachijō-jima's scuba diving points were regarded in 2008 as many and
varied, and as including one of the top five diving spots in Japan.
Hachijō-jima is known for its hiking trails, waterfalls, and natural
environment. Other activities for visitors include visiting the
Botanical Park, exploring wartime tunnels, and hiking to the top of
Hachijō-fuji.
'Kihachijō', a naturally yellow silk fabric, is woven on the island.
One of the workshops is open to tourists. The Tokyo Electric Power
Company operates a free museum at its geothermal power plant.
Food
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Hachijō-jima is famous both for its sushi--known locally as
'shimazushi'--and for its 'kusaya' (a dried and fermented version of
'hamatobiuo'). As well as being served with sake, the latter is used
in many different recipes.
Local cuisine also makes use of the ashitaba plant in dishes such as
ashitaba soba and tempura.
Gallery
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File:Noboryou pass Hachijojima 2007-03-16.jpg|Mt Hachijō-Fuji and
Hachijō-Kojima island seen from the Noboryō Pass
File:Hachijojima tamaishigaki 2007-03-20.jpg|Tamaishigaki: walls built
by convicts exiled on Hachijō-jima in the Edo Period
File:Hachijojima karadaki 2007-03-16.jpg|The Karataki waterfall, in
the hills around Mt. Mihara
File:Hachijo taiko 2007-03-21.jpg|Taiko drummers wearing kimono made
from kihachijō cloth
File:Hachijojima freesia festival 2007-03-21.jpg|Freesia Festival
File:Hachijojima aloe 2007-03-20.jpg|Aloe growing on Mt. Hachijō-Fuji
File:Hachijojima.JPG|Hachijō-jima view
File:Hachijojima Kurosuna.JPG|View from the top of the rock at
Kurosuna, Hachijō
See also
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*'Runin: Banished', a 2004 film about convicts exiled to Hachijō-jima
and their attempts to escape
*'Battle Royale', a 2000 film filmed on the neighbouring, uninhabited,
'Hachijō Kojima', although not set on the island
*List of islands of Japan
Further reading
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*Tsune Sugimura; Shigeo Kasai. 'Hachijo: Isle of Exile'. New York:
Weatherhill, 1973.
*'Teikoku's Complete Atlas of Japan'. Tokyo: Teikoku-Shoin, 1990.
External links
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*[
http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/vois/data/tokyo/321_Hachijojima/321_index.html
Hachijojima] - Japan Meteorological Agency
*
*[
https://gbank.gsj.jp/volcano/Quat_Vol/volcano_data/G11.html Hachijo
Jima Volcano Group] - Geological Survey of Japan
*
License
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachijo-jima
