The is a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...

in the Yanbaru region of

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has a ...

. It is surrounded by Nago Bay to the east, the Haneda Inland Sea to the north, and the East China Sea to the west.Okinawa Island Guide " Nago City / Motobu Town / Nakijin Village
Okinawa Island Guide » Nago City / Motobu Town / Nakijin Village
accessdate: April 4, 2017Google Maps
Google Maps
accessdate: April 3, 2017 It is mostly

mountainous A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

, with a few plains. The peninsula's northeasternmost point is

Cape Bise A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. T ...

.Figure 5 of 6
terminal point
accessdate: April 3, 2017 Its highest point is

Mount Yae , also known as Mount Yaedake or Yae-take, is a mountain in Motobu, Okinawa on Okinawa Island. It is the tallest mountain on the Motobu Peninsula, standing at . Nakijin Castle and Nago Castle ''Nagu'', Kunigami: ''Naguu'' is a city loca ...

, whose summit is .Stripes Okinawa
Japan's cherry blossom season starts here , Stripes Okinawa
, accessdate: April 3, 2017 Due to a

US military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

communications tower, the summit is off-limits.Map It! Okinawa: January 2017
Map It! Okinawa: January 2017
accessdate: April 5, 2017Map It! Okinawa: Cherry Blossoms on Yaedake (Mt. Yae)

accessdate: April 5, 2017 The peninsula was the center of power for the kingdom of

Hokuzan , also known as before the 18th century, located in the north of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century during Sanzan period. The political entity was identified as a tiny c ...

in medieval times, and was the site of fierce fighting during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

in 1945.

Transportation

The Okinawa Expressway connects

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area i ...

to Nago. Japan National Route 58 crosses the bottom of the Motobu Peninsula. Japan National Route 505 connects Motobu Town to Haneji, as Japan National Route 449 connects Motobu to Nago. Both Route 404 and Route 449 run around the edge of the Motobu Peninsula.

Sites

In the area are Nago Castle and

Nakijin Castle is a Ryukyuan '' gusuku'' located in Nakijin, Okinawa. It is currently in ruins. In the late 14th century, the island of Okinawa consisted of three principalities: Nanzan to the south, Chūzan in the central area, and Hokuzan in the north. Nak ...

. The Native Okinawan Village is also there. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium features the world's third largest aquarium tank.Lonely Planet
which features the world's largest aquarium tank.
accessdate: April 2, 2017 View of Motobu Peninsula from Japan Route 58 near Kyoda Interchange 2

View of Motobu Peninsula from Japan Route 58 near Kyoda Interchange 2

Rivers

* Oigawa River * Shiokawa River (a national natural treasure, the shortest river in Japan, and has salt water.)

Beaches

* Uppama Beach * Emerald beach (inside Ocean Expo Park) * Shiokawa Beach * Nagahama Beach * Forest of the 21st Century Beach

Geology

The east side of the Motobu Peninsula is truncated by the

Nago fault ''Nagu'', Kunigami: ''Naguu'' is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 61,659 and a population density of 288 persons per km2. Its to ...

, bounding the northwestern coast of Okinawa Island. This area is of zone of

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

metamorphic Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock ( protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, cau ...

and

igneous rocks Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or l ...

.http://ir.library.tohoku.ac.jp/re/bitstream/10097/44970/1/AA0045945073324.pdf

accessdate: April 4, 2017 The Pleistocene Ryukyu Group comprises the northern part of the peninsula.Stratigraphy of the Ryukyu Group on northern Motobu Peninsula, Okinawa-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
Stratigraphy of the Ryukyu Group on northern Motobu Peninsula, Okinawa-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
accessdate: April 4, 2017

Municipalities on the Motobu Peninsula

* Motobu * Nago * Nakijin

Events which took place on the Motobu Peninsula

*Invasion of

(1416) *Initial Japanese landing during the Invasion of Ryukyu (1609) *Fighting on Mount Yae during the

(1945) *

Expo '75 Expo '75 ( ) was a World's Fair held on the island of Okinawa in Japan from July 20, 1975 to January 18, 1976. History Expo 75 was conceived, in part, to commemorate the American handover of Okinawa to Japan in 1972. The theme of the exposit ...

* Miss International 1975.

People from the Motobu Peninsula

Kanbun Uechi, the founder of Uechi-ryū, one of the primary

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

styles of Okinawa, was from the Motobu Peninsula.

Nearby islands

Iejima , previously romanized in English as Ie Shima, is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, lying a few kilometers off the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawa Island. The island measures in circumference and covers . As of December 2012 the island had ...

(also "Ie Shima") is near the Motobu Peninsula. Notably,

Ernie Pyle Ernest Taylor Pyle (August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945) was a Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist and war correspondent who is best known for his stories about ordinary American soldiers during World War II. Pyle is also notable for th ...

died, on Iejima * Kōri-jima, which is connects to Yagaji Island by a bridge * Minnajima * Sesokojima, which is connected to Motobu Peninsula by a bridge * Yagaji Island, which is connected to Motobu Peninsula by a bridge

United States military operations on Motobu Peninsula

During the

, by April 10, 1945 the Motobu Peninsula had been mostly secured. Motobu Airfield was located on Motobu Peninsula, but was decommissioned after 1945.

Other peninsulas on Okinawa

* Chinen Peninsula * Henoko Peninsula *

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 ...

* Yomitan Peninsula

References

External links and references

Lonely Planet on Motobu Peninsula

Places to see on Motobu Peninsula

A google map

{{Okinawa Okinawa Prefecture Tourist attractions in Okinawa Prefecture Geography of Okinawa Prefecture