Amami Ōshima
Native name: 奄美大島, Amami Ōshima Nickname: Uushima | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Pacific Ocean |
Coordinates | 28°19′35″N 129°22′29″E / 28.32639°N 129.37472°E |
Archipelago | Amami Islands |
Area | 712.35 km2 (275.04 sq mi) |
Coastline | 461.1 km (286.51 mi) |
Highest elevation | 694 m (2277 ft) |
Highest point | Yuwandake |
Administration | |
Prefectures | Kagoshima Prefecture |
District | Ōshima District |
Largest settlement | Amami (pop. 44,561) |
Demographics | |
Population | 73,000 (2013) |
Ethnic groups | Ryukyuan, Japanese |
Amami Ōshima (奄美大島,
The island, 712.35 km2 in area, has a population of approximately 73,000 people. Administratively it is divided into the city of
In 2021, it was listed as part of the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site of Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island.
History
It is uncertain when Amami Ōshima was first settled. Stone tools indicate settlement in the Japanese Paleolithic period, and other artifacts, including pottery, indicate a constant contact with Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun period Japan.
The island is mentioned in the ancient Japanese chronicle Nihon Shoki in an entry for the year 657 AD. During the Nara period and early Heian period it was a stopping place for envoys from Japan to the court of Tang dynasty China. Mother of pearl was an important export item to Japan. Between 1571 and 1611, Amami Ōshima was briefly incorporated as part of the Ryukyu Kingdom as it expanded northwards along the archipelago. As Ryukyu was a tributary vassal of Ming China, this changed the status of the island as well.
To counter Ming authority,
Since February 1974, a 7,861-hectare (19,420-acre) area that includes portions of the island and surrounding sea was protected as the Amami Gunto Quasi-national Park.[4] The area also has a large mangrove forest.
In December 2001 there was a naval battle called the
In 2017 the Amami Guntō National Park was established. It absorbed the former Amami Gunto Quasi-national Park and other land and sea areas in adjacent municipalities.
Geography
Amami Ōshima is the seventh-largest island in the
-
Coastal area of Amami Ōshima
-
View of Katetsu cove from nearby Manen-zaki(Cape Manen)
-
Mangrove forest of the Amami Guntō National Park in Amami Ōshima
-
Kinsakubaru wildwood in Amami Ōshima
Administration
Amami Ōshima belongs to
- Amami
- Tatsugo
- Yamatomura
- Usomura
- Part of Setouchi-cho
Climate
The climate of Amami Ōshima is classified as a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and mild winters. The rainy season lasts from May through September. The island is subject to frequent typhoons.
Fauna
Amami Ōshima is home to several rare or endangered endemic animals, including the Amami rabbit and the Lidth's jay, both of which are now found only in Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima. The Amami rabbit is sometimes called a living fossil because it represents an ancient Asian lineage that has elsewhere disappeared.
The island is also home to the
Whale watching to see humpback whales has become a featured attraction in winter in recent years.[9] It is also notable that North Pacific right whale, the most endangered of all whale species, have repeatedly appeared around the island[10] (there are five records of three sightings, a capture, and a stranding since 1901) and as of 2014[update], Amami is the only location in East China Sea where this species has been confirmed in the past 110 years. It is also one of two locations in the world along with the Bonin Islands where constant appearance in winter has been confirmed since the 20th century. Discovery of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Seto strait made it the first confirmation in the nation. Other species include whales (Bryde's, sperm), smaller whales or dolphins (false killer, spinner, spotted), and so on. Before being wiped out, many large whales such as blue and fin were seasonal migrants.[11]
The island marks the northernmost limit of dugong distribution, with occasional sightings throughout the 20th and into the 21st century.[12]
Amami Oshima is the only place where a nesting of
Demographics
Amami Oshima had a population of 73,000 people in 2013. 44,561 people live in the city of Amami. The total area of Amami city is 308.15 km2 with a population density of 145 persons per km2.
Economy
The economy of Amami Ōshima is based on agriculture (
. The favorable climate allows for two rice crops a year. Seasonal tourism is also an important part of the economy. Traditional crafts on the island include the production of high quality hand-crafted silk called Ōshima tsumugi which along with Persian carpets and Gobelin tapestries, is said to be one of the world's three great textiles. They are famously dyed with mud and a dye taken from the Ōshima tsumugi to create their characteristic black color.[13]Transportation
The port of Naze, located in the city of Amami is a major regional shipping and ferry hub.
Language
Two dialects of the Amami language are spoken in Amami Ōshima: the Northern Ōshima dialect and the Southern Ōshima dialect. These dialects are part of the Ryukyuan languages group. According to Ethnologue, as of 2005[update] there were about 10,000 speakers of the Northern Ōshima[14] dialect and about 1,800 speakers of the Southern Ōshima dialect.[15] These dialects are now spoken mostly by older residents of the island, while most of the younger generations are monolingual in Japanese. The Amami language, including the Ōshima dialects, is classified as endangered by UNESCO.
There is also a
Notable people from Amami Ōshima
- Kenji Midori – karateka
- Ikue Asazaki – singer
- Chitose Hajime – singer
- Kousuke Atari – singer
- Minami Kizuki – singer
- Rikki – singer
- Rena Takeshita – fashion model
- Domingos Chohachi Nakamura – Catholic missionary, who was born in Nagasaki and lived 26 years in Amami Oshima
- Daiamami Genki – Sumo wrestler
- Meisei Chikara - Sumo wrestler
- Reona - singer
See also
References
- ^ "ウーシマ". 首里・那覇方言音声データベース (in Japanese).[permanent dead link]
- ^ "ウシマ". 奄美方言音声データベース (in Japanese).[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 4-8071-0004-1
- ^ "List of National and Quasi-national Parks". Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ "Japan announces sunken boat was N. Korean spy ship". BNET. 7 October 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ "Japan says 'spy ship' fired rockets". BBC News. 25 December 2001. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- S2CID 128790253.
- ^ Watari Y, Yamada F, Sugimura K, Takatsuki S (2006). "Direct and indirect effects of an alien mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) on the native animal community on Amami-Oshima Island, southern Japan, as inferred from distribution patterns of animals" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Oki K., 2014. Amami whale and dolphin association. retrieved on 28-05-2014
- Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the originalon 2 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
- ^ Miyazaki N, Nakayama K (1989). "Records of Cetaceans in the Waters of the Amami Island". Memoirs of the National Science Museum (in Japanese). 22. National Museum of Nature and Science, Museum of History and Folklore in Kasari: 235–249. Retrieved 2015-01-12 – via CiNii.
- .
- ^ "About Ooshima Tsumugimura|Ooshima Tsumugi Mura". www.tumugi.co.jp. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ Lewis MP; Simons GF; Fennig CD, eds. (2015). "Amami-Oshima, Northern". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (18th ed.). Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ Lewis MP; Simons GF; Fennig CD, eds. (2015). "Amami-Oshima, Southern". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (18th ed.). Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- Eldridge, Mark. The Return of the Amami Islands: The Reversion Movement and U.S.–Japan Relations. Levington Books (2004) ISBN 0739107100
- Hellyer. Robert. Defining Engagement: Japan and Global Contexts, 1640–1868. Harvard University Press (2009) ISBN 0674035771
- Turnbull, Stephen. The Most Daring Raid of the Samurai. Rosen Publishing Group (2011) ISBN 978-1448818723
- Ravina, Mark. The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. Whiley (2011) ISBN 1118045564
- Yeo, Andrew. Activists, Alliances, and Anti-U.S. Base Protests. Cambridge University Press. (2011) ISBN 1107002478
External links
- Visitors Guide
- Geographic data related to Amami Ōshima at OpenStreetMap