Yaeyama Islands
Encyclopedia
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, 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...
.
The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern (Hateruma
Hateruma
Hateruma is an island in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Part of the town Taketomi, it is the southern-most inhabited island in Japan at 24°2’25” north latitude, 123°47’16” east longitude...
) and most western (Yonaguni
Yonaguni
is one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
) inhabited islands.
The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands. The administrative division of Yaeyama District
Yaeyama District, Okinawa
is a district located in Okinawa, Japan. The district covers all of the Yaeyama Islands except Ishigaki and the disputed Senkaku Islands.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 5,579 and the density of 15.37 persons per km²...
covers all of the Yaeyama Islands except Ishigaki and the disputed Senkaku Islands
Senkaku Islands
The , also known as the Diaoyu Islands or Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea...
.
Culture
The Yonaguni languageYonaguni language
Yonaguni is a Ryukyuan language spoken by around 800 people on the island of Yonaguni, in the Ryukyu Islands, just east of Taiwan. It is most closely related to Yaeyama..-Phonology:...
is the indigenous language of the island of Yonaguni
Yonaguni
is one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
, the location of the mysterious undersea Yonaguni monument
Yonaguni Monument
The Yonaguni Monument is a massive underwater rock formation off the coast of Yonaguni, the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, in Japan. There is a debate about whether the site is completely natural, is a natural site that has been modified, or is a manmade artifact.The site is variably referred...
. The Yaeyama language
Yaeyama language
Yaeyama is a Ryukyuan language that is spoken in the Yaeyama Islands, the southernmost inhabited island group in Japan, with a combined population of about 50,000 . The Yaeyama Islands are situated to the southwest of the Miyako area of the Ryukyus and to the east of Taiwan. Yaeyama is most...
is the indigenous language of the rest of the islands.
Japanese
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 widely spoken as a second language.
Mushaama Festival
14 July: Mushaama Festival. On Hateruma Island, this harvest festival is celebrated during Obon. It features a parade of the local fertility god MirukuMaitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
and his children (the local children), shishi ("lion") dances, and staff dances.
Island grouping
- Japanese ArchipelagoJapanese ArchipelagoThe , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
- Nansei Islands
- Ryūkyū ShotōRyūkyū Shotōis a geographic division of Japan refers to the islands of Ryukyu Islands under administration of Okinawa Prefecture.The Okinawa Prefecture is an archipelagic island prefecture.-Major islands:...
- Sakishima IslandsSakishima IslandsThe are an island chain located at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. They are part of the Nansei Islands and include the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands...
- Yaeyama Islands
- Sakishima Islands
- Ryūkyū Shotō
- Nansei Islands
Inhabited islands
- Yaeyama Islands (Yaeyama SubprefectureYaeyama Subprefectureis a subprefecture of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.It includes the following cities and towns of Yaeyama and Senkaku Islands:*Ishigaki *Taketomi...
)- Ishigaki City
Ishigaki, OkinawaIshigaki is an island west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago...
- Ishigaki Island (Ishigaki-jima)
- Taketomi Town
Taketomi, Okinawais a town located in Yaeyama District, Okinawa, Japan. The town includes all of the islands in the Yaeyama District excluding Ishigaki, Yonaguni, and the Senkaku Islands. This includes the islands of Iriomote, Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Hateruma, and Hatoma...
- Aragusuku Island (Aragusuku-jima)
- Hateruma IslandHaterumaHateruma is an island in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Part of the town Taketomi, it is the southern-most inhabited island in Japan at 24°2’25” north latitude, 123°47’16” east longitude...
(Hateruma-jima) - Iriomote IslandIriomoteIriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself....
(Iriomote-jima) - Kohama IslandKohamajima, or Kohama Island, is an island in the Yaeyama Islands group at the southwestern end of the Nansei Islands chain, and part of Taketomi, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island has an area of 7.84km², with a surrounding area of 16.6km²...
(Kohama-jima) - Kuroshima IslandKuroshima, Taketomi, Okinawathumb|Kuroshima LighthouseKuroshima , also known as "Kuro Island", is an island in Taketomi Town, Okinawa, part of the Yaeyama archipelago...
(Kuroshima) - Taketomi IslandTaketomiTaketomi is an island in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Located a ten-minute boat ride away from Ishigaki island, this island has a village in the center, also named Taketomi. Taketomi has a population of approximately 361 and an area of 6.32 km²...
(Taketomi-jima) - Yubu Island (Yubu-jima)
- Hatoma IslandHatomaHatoma is a small island of the Yaeyama Islands, barely 1 kilometer in diameter. It is under the administration of Taketomi District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. In local language, the island's name is pronounced Patuma.- Geography :Hatoma is located just north of Iriomote...
(Hatoma-jima)
- Yonaguni Town
Yonaguni, Okinawa-History:Presently, the oldest confirmed ruins are the Tuguru Beach ruins. Due to the southern style stone tools found, it is thought that a culture influenced by Southeast Asia existed here at one time....
- Yonaguni IslandYonaguniis one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
(Yonaguni-jima)
- Yonaguni Island