, also known as , Satsuma-Iwo Jima or , is one of the Satsunan Islands, usually classed with the

Ōsumi Islands The is an archipelago in the Nansei Islands, and are the northernmost group of the Satsunan Islands, which is in turn part of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The chain extends from the southern tip of Kyushu to Yakushima. Administratively, the group bel ...

, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Along with Takeshima and Kuroshima, it makes up the three-island village of

Mishima Mishima may refer to: Places * Mishima, Fukushima, a town in Fukushima Prefecture * Mishima, Kagoshima, a village in Kagoshima Prefecture * Mishima, Niigata, a town in Niigata Prefecture * Mishima, Shizuoka, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan ...

, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 11.65 km² in area, has a population of 142 persons.

Geography

Iōjima is one of the Ōsumi islands, and is located south of

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

. The island has an area of approximately with a length of in length from east to west and from north to south. 250px, Mount Iōdake. May, 2015. Taken from the east. Iōjima is of volcanic origin, and is the northern edge of the

Kikai Caldera (alternatively Kikaiga-shima, Kikai Caldera Complex) is a massive, mostly submerged caldera up to in diameter in the Ōsumi Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Geology Caldera formation has been dated from about 95,000 years ago and has i ...

, a stratovolcano rising from the ocean floor to above sea level at its highest peak (Mount Iōdake). Kikai Caldera is ranked class A for volcanic activity. It is constantly erupting, emitting massive amounts of sulfur dioxide which causes damage to agricultural products. Hot springs high in iron concentration from the port bottom gush and due to contact with oxygen, the port waters change to a reddish-brown color. Due to the sulfur, the sea area around the island is yellow in color. This gave rise to the name "Sulfur Island" (Iōjima). The climate of Iōjima is classified as subtropical, with a rainy season from May through September.

Shōwa Iōjima , also known as , is one of the Satsunan Islands, usually classed with the Ōsumi Islands, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. A deserted volcanic island, it is located just off the northern shore of Iōjima, Kagoshima. Geography Shō ...

, a small uninhabited island, is located just offshore to the north.

History

Historically Iōjima is one of the islands identified as

Kikai Island is one of the Satsunan Islands, classed with the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. The island, in area, has a population of approximately 7,657 persons. Administratively the island forms the town of Kikai, Kagoshima Prefecture ...

, an island of exile mentioned in the ''

Heike Monogatari is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yo ...

'', where the conspirator Shunkan was exiled. However, there are other islands in the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

which also make the same claim. During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

, Iōjima was part of Satsuma Domain and was administered as part of Kawabe District. In 1896, the island was transferred to the administrative control of

Ōshima District, Kagoshima is a district located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. As of the March 20, 2006 merger but with 2003 population statistics, the district has an estimated population of 78,882 and a density of 84.4 persons per km2. The total area is 934.10 k ...

, and from 1911 was part of the village of

Toshima, Kagoshima is a village consisting of the islands of the Tokara Islands located in the Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The village office is located in the city of Kagoshima, outside the village. As of 2013, the vill ...

. From 1946-1952, the southern seven islands in the Toshima group belonging to the Tokara archipelago came under the administration of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

as part of the Provisional Government of Northern Ryukyu Islands; however, since Iōjima is located north of 30 degrees North, it remained Japanese territory during this time, and came under the administration of the village of

in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Transportation

The island can be reached by bi-weekly ferry service to the city of Kagoshima on the mainland. Travel time is about 3 hours. Satsuma Iōjima Airport was opened in 1973 in conjunction with a resort development by the

Yamaha Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate with a very wide range of products and services. It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturing company. The former motorcycle divi ...

. Ownership of the airport was transferred to Mishima Village after the resort closed in 1994, but there is no scheduled service.

Economy

From the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, mining of sulfur and

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...

were important to the local economy. However, the mine closed in 1964 due to increased volcanic activity and a large drop in prices due to cheaper imports. The population of the island, which reached 604 people in 1960, dropped to 186 by 1970 due to the mine closure. In October 1973, the Yamaha Corporation established a resort complex on the island, but the venture went bankrupt in April 1983.

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

s brought in as decoration for the hotel have become feral, and can be found throughout the island. The present economic basis of the island is now mainly fishing, agriculture (beef cattle, bamboo shoots, camellia oil products) and seasonal tourism.

External links

Satsuma-Iojima
- Japan Meteorological Agency * - Japan Meteorological Agency

- Geological Survey of Japan

- Geological Survey of Japan * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iojima, Kagoshima Ōsumi Islands Calderas of Japan Active volcanoes Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture Volcanoes of Kagoshima Prefecture