Hamahiga Island (浜比嘉島, Japanese: ''Hamahiga-jima'', Okinawan: ''Bamahija-shima'') is an island located in the

Yokatsu Islands The Yokatsu Islands (与勝諸島, ''Yokatsu-shotō'') are a group of Island, islands located near the Katsuren Peninsula of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It consists of both inhabited and uninhabited islets. Islands The Yokatsu Islands consist of ...

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city o ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Its administered by the city of Uruma and is located near the

Katsuren Peninsula The is a peninsula on Okinawa Island. It is bordered by Nakagusuku Bay to the south, Kin Bay to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the east.South China Morning PostThe stunning fortresses of Okinawa have endured centuries of conflict , Post Ma ...

. Hamahiga has a total population of 600 people. There are two villages on the island, ''Hama'' (浜) to the north and ''

Higa Higa or Fija (written: 比嘉) is a Ryukyuan surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Daigo Higa (born 1995), Japanese boxer *, Japanese footballer *Kumiko Higa, Japanese voice actress * Maurren Higa Maggi, Brazilian athlete and Olympic ...

'' (比嘉) to the south.

History

During the Sanzan period, Hamahiga and the rest of the Yokatsu Islands were under the control of

Chūzan was one of three kingdoms which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. Okinawa, previously controlled by a number of local chieftains or lords, loosely bound by a paramount chieftain or king of the entire island, split into these three more so ...

. By the 15th century, Chūzan had united the Okinawa Islands, forming the Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1879,

annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom, turning it into Okinawa Prefecture. Hamahiga was a part of this prefecture until the end of World War II, when Okinawa in its entirety were placed under the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1950 to 1972. After the

Okinawa Reversion Agreement The was an agreement between the United States and Japan in which the United States relinquished in favor of Japan all rights and interests under Article III of the Treaty of San Francisco, which had been obtained as a result of the Pacific War, ...

, Hamahiga was once again placed under the administration of Japan.

Culture

Hamahiga Island is notable for its preservation of Okinawan culture. This can be seen in the widespread usage of both traditional cuisine and architecture. In the

Ryukyuan religion The Ryukyuan religion (琉球信仰), Ryūkyū Shintō (琉球神道), Nirai Kanai Shinkō (ニライカナイ信仰), or Utaki Shinkō (御嶽信仰) is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands. While specific legends and traditions ...

, it's believed that the creation goddess, Amamikyu, and her partner, Shinerikyu, lived in a cave in southern Hamahiga after creating the Okinawa Islands. Amamikyu's tomb is also said to be in Hamahiga.

References

Yokatsu Islands {{Okinawa-geo-stub

History

Culture

See also

References