Hachijokojima - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is a small volcanic

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

deserted island in the Philippine Sea

Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...

approximately 287 kilometres (178.3 mi) south of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

and 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) west of Hachijōjima

Hachijojima

is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō and located approximately south of the Special Wards of Tōkyō. It is the southernmost and most isolated of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago...

, in the northern Izu archipelago

Izu Islands

The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Administratively the island is within Hachijō

Hachijo, Tokyo

is a town located in Hachijō Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan. Electric power for the town is provided by a geothermal power station and by a wind farm.-Geography:...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

Geography

Orientated in the same northwest to southeast direction as Hachijōjima, the 1.3 x 3 km Hachijōkojima is surrounded by high cliffs. The summit of the island is the mountain with a height of 616.8 metres (2,023.6 ft). Located in the Kuroshio Current

Kuroshio Current

The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...

, the area has abundant sea life, and is popular with sports fishermen and scuba divers.

History

During the Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

, Minamoto no Tametomo

Minamoto no Tametomo

was a samurai who fought in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156. He was the son of Minamoto no Tameyoshi, and brother to Yukiie and Yoshitomo....

was banished to Izu Ōshima

Izu Oshima

is a volcanic island in the Izu Islands and administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, Japan, lies about 100 km south of Tokyo, 22 km east of the Izu Peninsula and 36 km southwest of Bōsō Peninsula. serves as the local government of the island...

after a failed rebellion, but per a semi-legendary story, escaped to Hachijōjima, where he attempted to establish an independent kingdom, and he built his castle on the more easily defended Hachijōkojima. Although the legend has not been verified with historical or archaeological evidence, Hachijōkojima has been inhabited since at least the Muromachi period

Muromachi period

The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...

. As with neighboring Hachijōjima, during the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, the island was a place for exile of convicts

Criminal punishment in Edo-period Japan

During the Edo period, Japan used various punishments against criminals. These can be categorized as follows:* Death penalty* Incarceration and Exile* Penal labor* Confiscation of property* Corporal punishment- Death penalty :...

. As the strait separating Hachijōkojima from Hachijōjima has a strong current preventing escape by raft or swimming, the more serious criminals were isolated on the island. Its use as a prison came to an end in the Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

. During this time, there were two hamlets on the island: in the northeast, and in the southwest. These hamlets became part of the town of Hachijō

Hachijo, Tokyo

is a town located in Hachijō Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan. Electric power for the town is provided by a geothermal power station and by a wind farm.-Geography:...

in 1955. The population peaked at 513 residents in the Meiji period, but by 1955 the population had shrunk to only 50. In 1965, the remaining residents voted to abandon the island, citing lack of back public services (including electricity, health care and schools) and the island's inability to support more than a very basic subsidence lifestyle. There have been no residents of Hachijōkojima since 1969, when the last group of 31 left the island.

Geography

History

See also