Ogasawara Islands
Encyclopedia
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some 1000 km (540 nmi; 621.4 mi) directly 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...
, 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, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality
Ogasawara, Tokyo
is a village in Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan, that governs the Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands and three remote islands .-Geography:...
(mura) of Ogasawara Subprefecture
Ogasawara Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The subprefecture covers the Bonin Islands and includes the village of Ogasawara; and the prefectural government maintains a main office on Chichijima and a branch office on Hahajima....
, Tokyo. The total area of the islands is 73 square kilometres (28.2 sq mi), with a population of 2,440 (2000 on Chichijima
Chichi-jima
, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
, and 440 on Hahajima
Haha-jima
is the second-largest island of the Ogasawara Islands or Bonin Islands south of the Japanese main island chain. It is about 21 km² in area.The highest points are Mt. Chibusa , approximately 462m, and Mt. Sakaigatake , 443m. The largest island of the group, Chichi-jima is approximately...
).
The Ogasawara Islands were added to UNESCO's list of World Natural Heritage sites in July 2011 as animals and plants there have undergone unique evolutionary processes since these islands have never been connected with a continent, thus often dubbed as the "Galapagos of the Orient".
The only inhabited islands of the group are Chichi-jima
Chichi-jima
, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
(父島), the seat of the municipal government, and Haha-jima
Haha-jima
is the second-largest island of the Ogasawara Islands or Bonin Islands south of the Japanese main island chain. It is about 21 km² in area.The highest points are Mt. Chibusa , approximately 462m, and Mt. Sakaigatake , 443m. The largest island of the group, Chichi-jima is approximately...
(母島) includes what is within Ogasawara Village.
In Japanese, the archipelago is called . By contrast, the term , is a wider, collective term for all islands of Ogasawara Municipality
Ogasawara, Tokyo
is a village in Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan, that governs the Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands and three remote islands .-Geography:...
, which also includes the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
and a few isolated islands. The common English name for Ogasawara Guntō is Bonin Islands, from bunin, an archaic reading of 無人 (mujin), that means "no people" or "uninhabited."
Rich of unique forms of life, the archipelago was nominated as a natural World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
on June 24, 2011.
Administrative and geographic taxonomies
Administratively, the Volcano IslandsVolcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
, Nishinoshima (Rosario Island), Okinotorishima (Parece Vela) and Minamitorishima (Marcus Island) are today part of Ogasawara municipality
Ogasawara, Tokyo
is a village in Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan, that governs the Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands and three remote islands .-Geography:...
. Geographically, they are not traditionally considered part of the Bonin Islands, which are the Mukojima, Chichijima, and Hahajima island clusters. In other words, the historical ambit of the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Guntō) is not the precise equivalent of the Japanese governmental unit. The Bonin Islands is a geographical term excluding the other islands which are today associated within the boundaries of a collective term, Ogasawara Shotō.
The Bonin Islands consist of three subgroups, which are listed along with their main islands:
- Mukojima Group (聟島列島 Mukojima Rettō) - formerly Parry Group
- Mukojima (聟島, literally: Bridegroom Island)
- Yomejima (嫁島, literally: Bride Island)
- Nakōdo-jima or Nakadachijima (媒島, literally: Go-between Island)
- Kitanojima (北ノ島 or 北島, literally: Northern Island)
- Chichijima Group (父島列島 Chichijima Rettō) - formerly Beechey Group
- ChichijimaChichi-jima, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
(父島, literally: Father Island) (Main I./Peel I.) - Anijima (兄島, literally: Elder Brother Island) (Hog I./Buckland I.)
- Otōtojima (弟島, literally: Younger Brother Island) (North I./Stapleton I.)
- Chichijima
- Hahajima Group (母島列島 Hahajima Rettō) - formerly Baily Group
- HahajimaHaha-jimais the second-largest island of the Ogasawara Islands or Bonin Islands south of the Japanese main island chain. It is about 21 km² in area.The highest points are Mt. Chibusa , approximately 462m, and Mt. Sakaigatake , 443m. The largest island of the group, Chichi-jima is approximately...
(母島, literally: Mother Island) - Anejima (姉島, literally: Elder Sister Island)
- Imōtojima (妹島, literally: Younger Sister Island)
- Hahajima
Gallery
Discovery and colonization
- Prehistoric tools and carved stones, discovered on North Iwo JimaNorth Iwo JimaNorth Iwo Jima is the northernmost island of the Volcano Islands group of the Ogasawara Islands, 80 km north of Iwo Jima. It is 1170 km south of Tokyo, 207 km SSW of Chichijima.-Geography :...
at the end of the 20th century, as well as stone tools discovered on Chichi-jima, indicate the islands might have been populated in ancient times. - The first European discovery of the islands is said to have taken place in 1543, by the Spanish explorer Bernardo de la TorreBernardo de la TorreBernardo de la Torre was a Spanish sailor, primarily noted for having explored parts of the Western Pacific Ocean south of Japan in the 16th century.-Exploration:...
. At that time, the islands were not populated. - 1593 (TenshoTenshowas a after Genki and before Bunroku. This period spanned the years from July 1573 through December 1592. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* 1573 : The new era name was created to mark a number of regional wars...
20): , a RoninRoninA or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
claiming to descend from , claims in 1727 that the islands were discovered by his ancestor at this date, and the territory was granted as a fief by Toyotomi HideyoshiToyotomi Hideyoshiwas a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
. Further examinations show a forgery, as a punishment Sadato is exiled by the shogunate in 1735, and the very existence of Sadayori is doubtful. - 1670 (KanbunKanbun (era), also romanized as Kambun, was a after Manji and before Enpō. This period spanned the years from April 1661 to September 1673. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
10) : The islands are discovered when a ship bound for Edo from Kishu is blown off course by a storm. - 1675 (EnpōEnpo, also Empo, was a after Kanbun and before Tenna. This period spanned the years from September 1673 to September 1681. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
3): The islands are explored by shogunate expedition, following up the "discovery" in KanbunKanbunThe Japanese word originally meant "Classical Chinese writings, Chinese classic texts, Classical Chinese literature". This evolved into a Japanese method of reading annotated Classical Chinese in translation . Much Japanese literature was written in literary Chinese using this annotated style...
10. The islands are claimed as a territory of Japan. They are then referred to as , litt. "the uninhabited islands". - 1827, the islands are claimed by the British Empire.
- 1830, Nathaniel Savory, an American, lands on the island of Chichijima in 1830 and forms the first permanent colony there along with 29 other people from Hawaii and Europe.
- 1846, a group of settlers arrive on board the whaler Howard. They established themselves initially in South Island. One of them, a woman from the Caroline Islands called Hypa, died in 1897 aged about 112, after being baptized on her deathbed.
- 1853, on his way to Yokohama, Commodore Perry visits the islands and buys property at Port Lloyd from Savory for $50. A "colony of Peel Island( Chichijima)" is created and Savory is elected the head of the colony for the United States.
- 1862 (BunkyūBunkyuwas a after Man'en and before Genji. This period spanned the years from February 1861 through February 1864. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
1): The islands are reclaimed as a territory of Japan, following "discovery" of the islands in KanbunKanbunThe Japanese word originally meant "Classical Chinese writings, Chinese classic texts, Classical Chinese literature". This evolved into a Japanese method of reading annotated Classical Chinese in translation . Much Japanese literature was written in literary Chinese using this annotated style...
10 (1670) and the shogunate expedition to the islands in EnpōEnpo, also Empo, was a after Kanbun and before Tenna. This period spanned the years from September 1673 to September 1681. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
3 (1675). The Japanese naming of each island as a "family member" is settled. 38 settlers from Hachijojima are sent the following year. - 1876 The islands are put under the direct control of the Home MinistryHome Ministry (Japan)The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
. - 1882 All islanders of European and American ancestry obtain the Japanese nationality.
The first published description of the islands in the West was brought to Europe by Isaac Titsingh
Isaac Titsingh
Isaac Titsingh FRS was a Dutch surgeon, scholar, merchant-trader and ambassador.During a long career in East Asia, Titsingh was a senior official of the Dutch East India Company . He represented the European trading company in exclusive official contact with Tokugawa Japan...
in 1796. His small library of Japanese books included by Hayashi Shihei
Hayashi Shihei
was a Japanese military scholar and a retainer of the Sendai Domain.His name is sometimes misread as Rin Shihei....
. This book, which was published in Japan in 1785, also briefly described the Ogasawara Islands
Ogasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
.
In 1832, the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland supported the posthumous abridged publication of Titsingh's French translation of Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu.
These groups were collectively called Islas del Arzobispo (Archbishop Islands) in Spanish sources of the 18th–19th century. Japanese maps at the time seem to have been rather inaccurate and therefore considered by some to be deliberately misleading. It is thought that this was an attempt to discourage colonization attempts by foreign nations. Frederick William Beechey
Frederick William Beechey
Frederick William Beechey was an English naval officer and geographer. He was the son of Sir William Beechey, RA., and was born in London.-Career:...
used the Spanish name as late as 1831 and believed that the Japanese Boninsima referred to entirely different islands.
In 1917, approximately 60–70 island people claimed ancestry among the 19th century English-speaking settlers; however, in 1941, no Bonin people would acknowledge descent from these early colonists. The current residents include some who claim to be related to Nathaniel Savory.
The Ogasawara islanders were relegated to an insignificant status up through the early Shōwa period.
World War II to present
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, most of the inhabitants were forcibly evacuated to the mainland. There was a Japanese military base on Chichijima, whose officer in charge, Major , was known for performing cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
and other acts on prisoners of war and was executed for his crimes after the war. Future President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
's plane crashed in the ocean near Chichijima, but he was rescued by an American submarine. The Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
in 1945, one of the fiercest battles of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, was fought on an uninhabited island in this region of the Pacific.
The islands were occupied by the U.S. Navy from 1945, at which point the inhabitants of "Western" (mainly of mixed White American
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
or European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
, Micronesian and Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
ancestry) were allowed back. The islands were returned to Japan in 1968, at which time Japanese evacuees were allowed to return.
Now nearly all inhabitants, including those of Western ancestry, are Japanese citizens, and the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
is used. Research indicates that an English-lexified pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
(creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
) was spoken on the islands during the 19th century. During the 20th century, islanders of Western ancestry increasingly mixed Japanese with island English, resulting in a mixed language that can still be heard today. Younger speakers are monolingual in a variety of Japanese closely resembling the Tokyo standard. A bilingual dictionary, Talking Dictionary of the Bonin Islands Language (with CD-ROM), was published in 2005.
A 25m-diameter radio telescope is located in Chichijima, which is one of the stations of the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) project, and is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
The is an astronomical research organisation comprising several facilities in Japan, as well as an observatory in Hawaii. It was established in 1988 as an amalgamation of three existing research organizations - the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the University of Tokyo, International Latitude...
.
Recent developments
The giant squidGiant squid
The giant squid is a deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by as many as eight species...
(genus Architeuthis) was filmed off the Ogasawara Islands for the first time in the wild on September 27, 2005, and was captured in December 2006.
Fictional references
The Ogasawara Islands have been referenced in a number of works of fiction. Bonin, by Robert Standish, describes itself as 'a novel', but claims 'this book is an accurate history of the Bonin Islands' based mainly on information from Nathaniel Savory's great-grand-daughter, and includes descriptions of maltreatment of the Anglo-Polynesian population by the later Japanese settlers and authorities, and a detailed map of the Chichijima group (on the back end-paper), including over 50 English place-names. The Sevii Islands from PokémonPokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
, Fire Red and Leaf Green are based on the Bonin Islands. In the 1968 Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
film, Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters, released in Japan as , is a 1968 Japanese horror Science fiction Kaiju film. The ninth in Toho Studios' Godzilla series, it was directed by Ishirō Honda with special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa This is the fifth film to feature Mothra, third to feature King Ghidorah, fourth...
, Monsterland
Monsterland and Monster Island
Monsterland and Monster Island are fictional locations in Toho Studios' Godzilla film franchise, both serving as nature reserves or homes for several giant monsters.- Monsterland :...
is located in the chain. In an English-dubbed version, it is referred to as "Ogasawara Island" as if it were a lone island of that name. In the television series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
, a fictional island in the chain, South Ataria Island (which would have laid at the southernmost position in the chain, surpassing Minami Iwo Jima), is the landing site of the SDF-1 Macross
SDF-1 Macross
The SDF-1 Macross is a fictional interstellar transforming spacecraft from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, an anime science fiction series that aired in Japan in 1982–1983, and its American adaptation Robotech...
.
In the 1963 film Matango
Matango
, also known as Matango, Fungus of Terror and Attack of the Mushroom People, is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu movie. It was directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Takeshi Kimura based on the story "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson , and had special...
, a luxury yacht is set adrift and lands on an island. Upon approaching the island one of the crew members shouts: "I wonder if it's the Bonin Islands?" The English subtitles for the film misspell Bonin "Bonan".
Transportation
One can get from the main Japanese islands to Chichijima by way of the Ogasawara Maru liner, run by Ogasawara Marine Transportation. The ship leaves from Takeshiba port in Tokyo BayTokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
, and the trip takes around 25.5 hours (in good weather). There are four or five crossings each month. The Ogasawara Maru is a 6700 long ton vessel, 131 metres (429.8 ft) long, with a capacity of 1,031 passengers. To get to Hahajima, one must first get to Chichijima, and then cross by the liner Hahajima Maru.
Because a trip from the main Japanese islands to the Ogasawaras is very difficult, when people get severely ill or otherwise have an emergency, word is conveyed to Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
Japan Maritime Self Defense Force post, and a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
is sent to the islands. Emergencies can also be handled from the main Japanese islands by Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
airplanes or the Maritime Self Defense Force base in Iwakuni can convey evacuees to the main islands by seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
, the ShinMaywa US-1. This seaplane is also used to transport the Tokyo governor and other VIPs.
Ogasawara Village operates a bus service on Chichijima and elderly passengers may use a "silver pass." There is also a sightseeing taxi service, a rental car company, motorized scooter rental services, a bike rental service, and other amenities. Bringing one's own automobile onto the island is extremely difficult and costly.
Issues with improved transportation
The world's first 'techno superliner', the Super Liner Ogasawara (which was to be commissioned in 2006), with a maximum speed of 38 kn (74.5 km/h; 46.3 mph), 14,500 tons gross tonnageGross tonnage
Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage...
, was expected to shorten the voyage to Ogasawara to about 17 hours and carry up to 740 passengers. However, the project was canceled in July 2005 due to rising fuel prices and the loss of ¥2 billion.
The Ogasawara Islands have no airport, and there is no prospect for one being constructed. However, there was talk for several decades of building one. Anijima and Chichijima were once designated possible construction sites, but because there are numerous valuable, rare, or endangered plant species forming a unique ecosystem in the vicinity of the proposed sites, issues of nature conservation were raised. Although construction of an airport was desired by some, a desire to keep the natural beauty of the islands untouched created a movement to block it. The airport issue was quite controversial on the islands.
Formation
The Ogasawara Islands were formed around 48 million years agoEocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
. They are a part of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc
Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc
The Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc system is an outstanding example of a plate tectonic convergent boundary. IBM extends over 2800 km south from Tokyo, Japan, to beyond Guam, and includes the Izu Islands, Bonin Islands, and Mariana Islands; much more of the IBM arc system is submerged below sealevel...
known geologically as a fore arc. They lie above a subduction
Subduction
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the Earth's mantle, as the plates converge. These 3D regions of mantle downwellings are known as "Subduction Zones"...
zone between the Pacific Plate
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate....
and the Philippine Sea Plate. The Pacific Plate is subducting
Subduction
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the Earth's mantle, as the plates converge. These 3D regions of mantle downwellings are known as "Subduction Zones"...
under the Philippine Sea Plate, which creates an oceanic trench
Oceanic trench
The oceanic trenches are hemispheric-scale long but narrow topographic depressions of the sea floor. They are also the deepest parts of the ocean floor....
to the east of the islands. The crust of the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands was formed by volcanic activity when subduction began 45–50 million years ago, and is composed mostly of an andesitic
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
volcanic rock called boninite
Boninite
Boninite is a mafic extrusive rock high in both magnesium and silica, formed in fore-arc environments, typically during the early stages of subduction. The rock is named for its occurrence in the Izu-Bonin arc south of Japan...
, which is rich in magnesium oxide
Magnesium oxide
Magnesium oxide , or magnesia, is a white hygroscopic solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium . It has an empirical formula of and consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2– ions held together by ionic bonds...
, chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, and silicon dioxide
Silicon dioxide
The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica , is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula '. It has been known for its hardness since antiquity...
. The Ogasawara Islands may represent the exposed parts of an ophiolite that has not yet been emplaced on oceanic crust. The rocks of the Volcano Islands are much younger; Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
is a dormant volcano characterized by rapid uplift and several hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
.
Most of the islands have steep shorelines, often with sea cliffs ranging from 50 to 100 m (164 to 328.1 ft) in height, but the islands are also fringed with coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s and have many beaches. The highest point lies on South Iwo Jima
South Iwo Jima
South Iwo Jima is the southernmost island of the Volcano Islands group of the Ogasawara Islands, 60 km south of Iwo Jima. It is 1300 km south of Tokyo, 330 km SSW of Chichijima. Its area is 3.4 km², shore length, 7.5 km, and highest point 916m, the highest in the...
, at 916 metres (3,005.2 ft).
Flora
Flora has evolved differently on each of the islands. The Ogasawara Islands are sometimes referred to as the Galapagos of the Orient.These islands are home to the northern most outliers of the Clinostigma genus of palms. C. savoryianum is endemic and has been planted in mediterranean climates often with success. As well species of Metrosideros live here as well.
The Ogasawara Islands form a distinct subtropical moist broadleaf forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
, with a high degree of biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and endemism
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
. The islands are home to about 500 plant species, of which 43% are endemic. The forests are of three main types:
- Type I: ElaeocarpusElaeocarpusElaeocarpus is a genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs. The approximately 350 species are distributed from Madagascar in the west through India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, southern China, and Japan, through Australia to New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii in the east. The islands of...
-ArdisiaArdisiaArdisia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrsinaceae , native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Australasia...
mesic forest is found in the moist lowland areas with deep soils. The forests have a closed canopy with a height of about 15 metres (49.2 ft), dominated by ArdisiaArdisiaArdisia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrsinaceae , native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Australasia...
sieboldii. ElaeocarpusElaeocarpusElaeocarpus is a genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs. The approximately 350 species are distributed from Madagascar in the west through India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, southern China, and Japan, through Australia to New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii in the east. The islands of...
photiniaefolius, Pisonia umbelliferaPisonia umbelliferaPisonia umbellifera, commonly known as the Bird-lime Tree, is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It grows throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is native to the Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hawaii and Madagascar and the...
, and PouteriaPouteriaPouteria is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the Canistel , the Mamey Sapote and the Lúcuma...
obovataPouteria obovataPouteria obovata is a tree in the Sapotaceae family. Confusingly, this is not the same plant that was formerly known by the same scientific name, the Andean Pouteria lucuma. The common name in Australia is the Northern Yellow Boxwood...
are other important canopy species. These forests were almost completely destroyed by clearing for agricultureAgricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
before 1945. - Type II: DistyliumDistyliumDistylium is a genus of about 18 species of evergreen shrubs and trees in the witch hazel family Hamamelidaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia.Selected species*Distylium buxifolium - China...
-Raphiolepis-SchimaSchima[[Schima is a [[genus]] of evergreen trees belonging to the tea family, [[Theaceae]].The genus inhabits warm temperate to subtropical climates across southern and southeastern Asia, from the eastern [[Himalaya]] of [[Nepal]] and eastern [[India]] across [[Indochina]], southern [[China]],...
dry forest is found in drier lowland and upland sites with shallower soils. It is also a closed-canopy forest, with a 4 to 8 m (13.1 to 26.2 ft) canopy composed mostly of Distylium lepidotum, Rhaphiolepis integerrima, Schima mertensiana, Pouteria obovata, and SyzygiumSyzygiumSyzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...
buxifolium. The Type II forests can be further subdivided into:- Type IIa: Distylium-Schima dry forest occurs in cloudy upland areas with fine-textured soils. These forests contain many rare and endemic species, with PandanusPandanusPandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
boninensis and SyzygiumSyzygiumSyzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...
buxifolium as the predominant trees. - Type IIb: Raphiolepsis-LivistonaLivistonaLivistona is a genus of 36 species of palms , native to southern and southeastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa...
dry forest is found in upland areas with few clouds and rocky soils. Rhaphiolepis integerrima is the dominant tree species, along with the fan palmFan palmFan palm as a descriptive term can refer to any of several different kinds of palms in various genera with leaves that are palmately compound...
Livistona chinensis var. bonensis, Pandanus boninensis and OchrosiaOchrosiaOchrosia is a genus of flowering plant in the milkweed family, Apocynaceae.Species include:* Ochrosia ackeringae Miq. * Ochrosia borbonica J.F.Gmel. * Ochrosia compta K.Schum...
nakaiana.
- Type IIa: Distylium-Schima dry forest occurs in cloudy upland areas with fine-textured soils. These forests contain many rare and endemic species, with Pandanus
- Type III: Distylium-Pouteria scrub forest is found on windy and dry mountain ridges and exposed sea cliffs. These forests have the highest species diversity on the islands. Distylium lepidotum and Pouteria obovata are the dominant species, growing from 0.5 to 1.5 m (1.6 to 4.9 ft) tall. Other common shrubs are MyrsineMyrsineMyrsine is a genus of flowering plants, the nominate genus of the family Myrsinaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas...
okabeana, Symplocos kawakamii, and PittosporumPittosporumPittosporum is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Pittosporaceae. The genus is probably Gondwanan in origin; its present range extends from Australasia, Oceania, eastern Asia and some parts of Africa. Citriobatus is usually included here, but might be a distinct genus...
parvifolium.
Fauna
Bonin Petrel
The Bonin Petrel, Pterodroma hypoleuca, is a seabird in the family Procellariidae. It is a small gadfly petrel that lives in the waters of the north west Pacific and nests on islands south of Japan and in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands...
extends beyond the Ogasawaras to include other islands in the northern Pacific region.
There are two restricted-range species of birds on the islands the Japanese Woodpigeon (Columba janthina) and the Vulnerable Bonin White-eye
Bonin White-eye
The Bonin White-eye Apalopteron familiare or is a small yellow and grey bird endemic to the Ogasawara Islands of Japan. Until recently it was considered part of the Meliphagidae family of honeyeaters and was called the Bonin Honeyeater.A distinctive feature of the bird is the white rim around the...
(Apalopteron familiare), formerly known as "Bonin Honeyeater". The Japanese Woodpigeon was extirpated in the Iwo Island groups in the 1980s.
A small bat Pipistrellus sturdeei is only known in one record and has not been seen since 1915. The Bonin flying fox
Bonin Flying Fox
The Bonin Flying Fox or Bonin Fruit Bat is a species of megabat in the Pteropodidae family. It is endemic to four islands in Ogasawara Islands, Japan. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Ishii, N. 2000. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
(Pteropus pselaphon), also called the Bonin fruit bat, is endemic to the islands. It is currently listed as Critically Endangered, and a survey published by the Ogasawara Office of Education in 1999 estimated their number to be around 100.
Education
Ogasawara Village operates its public elementary and junior high schools.Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
operates Ogasawara High School
Ogasawara High School
is a public high school on Chichi-jima in Ogasawara, Tokyo, Japan. The school is a part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.The school is the sole public high school in the Bonin Islands.-External links:*...
External links
- Ogasawara Village (Japanese)
- The Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands Language and Culture Site
- Ogasawara Channel (Japanese)
- Ogasawara subtropical moist forests (World Wildlife Fund)
- National Archives of Japan: The faked map of 1752 mentioned in Hiroyuki Tanaka's 1998 article.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Ogasawara-mura: maps/photos
- Waseda UniversityWaseda University, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
— Hayashi ShiheiHayashi Shiheiwas a Japanese military scholar and a retainer of the Sendai Domain.His name is sometimes misread as Rin Shihei....
. (1785). 三国通覧図説 (Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu)