Sado Island

Japanese: 佐渡島 - さどがしま

It is Japan's largest island, located in the Sea of Japan in Niigata Prefecture. It is 35 km away from Echigo (Niigata Prefecture mainland) across the Sado Strait, with a circumference of 264.2 km and an area of 854.30 square km. There is one island and one city, with the entire island being Sado City. There is a regular Sado Kisen route from Niigata Port's Shin-Bandaijima Terminal to Ryoutsu Port, which takes one hour by jetfoil (high-speed hydrofoil) or two hours and 20 minutes by 3,000-ton ferryboat. There is also an air route from Niigata Airport, which takes 25 minutes. Ferryboats also connect Naoetsu Port to Ogi Port, and Teradomari Port to Akadomari Port. Since the early Meiji period, the island's population has been characterized by naturally adjusting to around 120,000 people, but since the end of World War II, it has experienced a rapid depopulation phenomenon, and as of 2009, its population has fallen to 65,055.

[Hisao Yamazaki]

terrain

The island's topography is a distorted H-shape, consisting of the Kuninaka Plain, a sunken rift zone sandwiched between the Osado Mountains in the north, which form the front line of the prefecture's Tertiary hill range, and the Kosado Mountains (Kosado Hills) in the south. The mountain is made of quartz trachyte andesite that has removed the Chichibu Mesozoic and Paleozoic layers, and has a majestic shape that makes it hard to believe it is an island due to mature erosion. The highest peak is Kinpokusan (1,172 meters) in the Osado Mountains, and the foothills have formed typical marine terraces due to small ground movements during the Pleistocene (Pleistocene) Epoch. The northeastern inlet is called Ryotsu Bay, and the southwestern inlet is called Mano Bay, and the Kuninaka Plain in the rift zone is irrigated by the Kofu River. The island's scenic spots are mainly the coastal scenery created by marine erosion of these coastal terraces, and most of the island is designated as part of the Sado-Yahiko-Yoneyama Quasi-National Park. Lake Kamo on the coast of Ryotsu Bay is a remnant of the sea, blocked by a sandbar. Due to the prevailing northwesterly monsoons in winter, there is a lot of snow on the coast of Ryotsu Bay, but the Ogi Peninsula on the southwestern tip has a warm climate where camellias, bamboo forests, and loquats grow. The average annual temperature in Aikawa is 13.9°C, and the annual precipitation is 1,506 mm (1981-2010).

[Hisao Yamazaki]

history

It is said that people first began to live on Sado from the Ogi Peninsula, southwest of the Kosado Mountains, and ruins attest to this, with many on the alluvial plateau southwest of the Kosado Mountains and on the edge of the plateau in the Kuninaka Plain. It seems that people moved into the alluvial fan at the foot of the mountains during the Yayoi period and began growing rice, and the Chigusa Residence Ruins remain in Kanai on the banks of the Kokufu River. The island has long been counted as one of the great eight islands of Japan, and in 702 (Taiho 2) after the Taika Reforms it became independent as "Sado Province", and in 721 (Yoro 5) it was divided into three districts, Sawata, Kamo, and Hamochi, consisting of 22 villages, with the provincial capital and provincial temple located on the coast of Mano Bay. In 724 (Jinki 1), it was designated an island of exile, and many famous people were exiled there, including Emperor Juntoku during the Jōkyū War (1221), Nichiren in 1271 (Bun'ei 8), Kyogoku Tamekane in 1298 (Einin 6), and Kanze Motokiyo (Zeami) in 1434 (Eikyo 6), and the ruins form the center of Sado's historical tourist sites. However, it wasn't until 1601 (Keicho 6) in the early modern period, when the Sado Gold Mine was developed, the Edo Shogunate called it Kanagura (the gold treasury) and it became a direct territory, the Sado Magistrate was established in Aikawa, and Sado flourished as the "Island of Gold." After the Meiji Restoration, it became Sado Prefecture, and after the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures, it became Aikawa Prefecture, but in 1876 (Meiji 9), it was merged into Niigata Prefecture, and Sado became one island and one district (Sado District). In 2004 (Heisei 16), ten municipalities - Ryotsu City, Aikawa Town, Sawata Town, Kanai Town, Niibo Village, Hatano Town, Mano Town, Ogi Town, Hamo Town, and Akadomari Village - merged to form Sado City. With the birth of Sado City, the entire island of Sado became Sado City, and Sado District was abolished.

[Hisao Yamazaki]

industry

The industry representing Sado since ancient times has been the gold mine in Aikawa, and during its heyday from the Genna to Kan'ei eras (1615-1644), the gold and silver production was described as "a thousand kan in the daytime and a thousand kan at night." At that time, the population of Aikawa Mining Town was said to have numbered over 100,000, which is more than the current population of the entire island, and the island's residents lived in some way related to the mines. However, the mining towns have seen rapid ups and downs, and the gold mine ruins have become a tourist attraction for Sado. The island's original main products were rice cultivation, mainly in the Kuninaka Plain, and coastal fishing, and half of the 40,000 tons of Sado rice produced annually is exported, making it the main industry for the islanders. Blessed with a long coastline and good fishing grounds, coastal fishing is one of the three largest in the prefecture, with an annual landing of 28,758 tons, accounting for 24% of the prefecture's total catch (2007), but there are few pure fishing villages. The main marine products are squid, yellowtail, and Alaska pollock, but they are gradually being replaced by farming fisheries such as oyster farming in Lake Kamo, red sea bream and small fish farming in Mano Bay, and wakame seaweed farming on the coast of Ryotsu Bay. There are also many local specialties such as Sado miso, Okesa persimmons, bamboo crafts, and Mumyoui ware from the Kosado coast.

[Hisao Yamazaki]

Tourism and Culture

Sado, known as "Okesa Island," is a tourist island that attracts 800,000 tourists a year. Tourism on the island is a combination of old exile cultural historical sites dating back to the Middle Ages, early modern mining ruins, and scenic coastal sites with the island's unique terraced topography. Exile cultural ruins are abundant in the foothills of the Kosado Mountains and the Kuninaka Plain, and regular bus services run from the Sado Kisen Terminal at Ryotsu Port via Kosado and the main line, with Nichiren ruins at the center, including the Mano Mausoleum of Emperor Juntoku in Mano, Manomiya Shrine, Myosen Temple, Konpon Temple in Niibo, and Myosho Temple in Sawada. Mining ruins are centered around Aikawa, and there is a direct bus service via the main line. Scenic coastal tours mainly focus on Sotokaifu Coast (a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty) and Ogi Coast (a nationally designated Natural Monument and Place of Scenic Beauty) in the Osado Mountains, and regular sightseeing buses depart from the bus terminal. Observation decks on the island are located on the Osado Skyline, which runs from Kitashinbo in the Kanai district to Aikawa, and at Donden Mountain Osado Lodge, which offer wonderful views of the entire island and are also serviced by regular sightseeing buses. At the Sado Island Festival, held every April, local performing arts such as Ondeiko, Harukoma, Sado Okesa, Aikawa Ondo, and Ryotsu Jinku are displayed, and can be viewed at permanent performing arts halls in Aikawa, Ogi, and Ryotsu. Cultural facilities include the Ryotsu Cultural Hall, the Honma Noh Stage, the Sado Museum in Sawada, the Sado Hall in Aikawa, the Aikawa Local Museum, and the Sado-kuni Ogi Folk Museum in Ogi. The Japanese crested ibis, an internationally protected bird that only lived in Niiho in Japan, was captured in 1981 and bred at the Toki Conservation Center (now the Sado Toki Conservation Center). However, in October 2003, the last Japanese crested ibis died, and the Japanese crested ibis became extinct. The center has also attempted artificial breeding, and a chick was born in May 1999 from a pair brought from China, marking the first successful case in Japan.

[Hisao Yamazaki]

"Sado Education Research Group, ed., Overview of Sado (1964, Kanai Town Publication Committee)" ▽ "Sado Nature, Culture, and Society" (1963, Heibonsha), edited by the Nine Associations of Societies ; "Sado History: The Climate and Life of the Island" (1976, Sado Publication Association), edited by the Sado Geography Research Group ; "Sado Local Dictionary" (1950, Geiensha), written by Homma Kuniyoshi

Senkaku Bay
A scenic spot in the western part of Sado Island. The cliffs and reefs formed by sea erosion caused by the rough waves of the Sea of Japan and seasonal winds present a strange sight. It is the center of tourism in Sado, and sightseeing boats depart from Tatsuja Port for tours of the bay. It is included in the Sado-Yahiko-Yoneyama Quasi-National Park. Sado City, Niigata Prefecture © Niigata Prefecture Photographers Association ">

Senkaku Bay

Aikawa Mine (Meiji period)
Aikawa-cho, Sado-gun, Niigata Prefecture (present Aikawa, Sado City). "Photographic Collection of Scenic Places and Historic Sites of Japan, Based on National Elementary School Textbooks, Heaven" (1912, Meiji 45), National Diet Library .

Aikawa Mine (Meiji period)

Doyu no Warito
The remains of the outcrop vein that led to the discovery of the Sado Gold Mine. It is also a symbol of the Sado Gold Mine. Nationally designated historic site Sado City, Niigata Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Doyu no Warito

Sado Gold and Silver Mine Ruins
The photo shows the remains of a stamping mill where gold was extracted from low-grade ore using mercury. Only the foundations remain today. Nationally designated historic site, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Sado Gold and Silver Mine Ruins

Tarai-bune fishing
In the Ogi area at the southern tip of Sado Island, tub boats are still used to harvest seaweed, fish and shellfish. They are stable and maneuverable, and are said to have been invented in the Meiji period in this area, which is filled with reefs and small coves. Sado City, Niigata Prefecture © Niigata Prefecture Photographers Association ">

Tarai-bune fishing

Sado Okesa
A folk song handed down in Sado City. Its origins lie in the drinking song "Haiya-bushi" from Ushibuka, Kumamoto Prefecture, which traveled up the coast of the Sea of Japan to Echigo, and was then brought to Sado. It was then passed down to the people who worked at the Aikawa Gold Mine, and later a dance in which people wore flower rush hats was added. Sado City, Niigata Prefecture © Niigata Prefecture Photographers Association ">

Sado Okesa

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

新潟県の日本海上に浮かぶ日本最大の島。越後(えちご)（新潟県本土）から佐渡海峡を隔てて35キロメートル、周囲264.2キロメートル、面積854.30平方キロメートル、1島1市で全島域が佐渡市である。新潟港の新万代島(ばんだいじま)ターミナルから佐渡汽船の定期航路があり、両津(りょうつ)港までジェットフォイル（高速水中翼船）で1時間、3000トン級のフェリーボートで2時間20分で達する。新潟空港から航空路も開け25分で行ける。そのほか直江津(なおえつ)港―小木(おぎ)港、寺泊(てらどまり)港―赤泊港にもフェリーボートが通じている。島内の人口は明治初期以来12万人前後で自然調整されるのが特色であったが、第二次世界大戦後から急激な過疎化現象が目だち、2009年（平成22）現在は6万5055人に減っている。

［山崎久雄］

地形

島の地形は、本県の第三紀丘陵列の最前線をなす北の大佐渡山地と、南の小佐渡山地（小佐渡丘陵）に挟まれた陥没地溝帯の国中平野(くになかへいや)からなり、ゆがんだH字型をなしている。山体は秩父中・古生層を抜いた石英粗面岩質安山岩類からなり、壮年期侵食を受けて島と思えない雄大な山容を呈している。最高峰は大佐渡山地の金北(きんぽく)山（1172メートル）で、山麓(さんろく)は洪積世（更新世）の小地盤運動を受け、標式的な海食段丘を形成している。北東の湾入を両津湾、南西の湾入を真野湾(まのわん)とよんで、地溝帯の国中平野は国府川が潤す。島の景勝地はこの海岸段丘群の海食による海岸景が主体で、その大部分は佐渡弥彦米山(やひこよねやま)国定公園地区に指定されている。両津湾岸の加茂湖(かもこ)は砂州によってふさがれた海跡湖である。冬季の北西季節風の発達で雪は両津湾岸に多いが、南西端の小木半島ではツバキや竹林、ビワの育つ暖地性気候をなす。相川(あいかわ)の年平均気温は13.9℃、年降水量は1506ミリメートル（1981～2010）。

［山崎久雄］

歴史

佐渡に人が住み着くようになったのは、小佐渡山地南西の小木半島からだといわれているが、遺跡もそれを証明するように、小佐渡山地南西の洪積台地や国中平野の台地べりに多い。弥生(やよい)時代には山麓扇状地面に進出して米作りも始められたらしく、国府川べりの金井(かない)には千種住居遺跡(ちぐさじゅうきょいせき)も残る。島は古くから大八洲(おおやしま)の一つに数えられ、大化改新後の702年（大宝2）には「佐渡国」として独立し、721年（養老5）には雑太(さわた)・賀茂(かも)・羽茂(はもち)の3郡に分かれて22郷(ごう)からなり、真野湾岸に国府、国分寺も置かれていた。また、724年（神亀1）には遠流(おんる)の島に定められ、承久(じょうきゅう)の乱（1221）の順徳(じゅんとく)上皇をはじめとして、1271年（文永8）の日蓮(にちれん)、1298年（永仁6）の京極為兼(きょうごくためかね)、1434年（永享6）の観世元清(かんぜもときよ)（世阿弥(ぜあみ)）など著名人が流され、その遺跡は佐渡観光史跡の中心をなしている。しかし、佐渡が全国的に有名になったのは、近世初期の1601年（慶長6）に佐渡金山が開発され、江戸幕府の金蔵(かなぐら)と称せられて直轄領となり、相川に佐渡奉行(ぶぎょう)が置かれて「黄金の島」として栄えてからであった。明治維新後に佐渡県、廃藩置県後は相川県となったが、1876年（明治9）新潟県に合併され、佐渡は1島1郡（佐渡郡）となる。2004年（平成16）、両津市、相川町、佐和田(さわた)町、金井町、新穂(にいぼ)村、畑野(はたの)町、真野町、小木町、羽茂町、赤泊村の10市町村が合併し佐渡市となった。この佐渡市の誕生により、佐渡島は全域が佐渡市となり、佐渡郡はなくなった。

［山崎久雄］

産業

古くから佐渡を代表する産業は相川の金山で、その全盛期の元和(げんな)～寛永(かんえい)年間（1615～1644）には「昼千貫(がん)、夜千貫」と形容された金銀の産出があった。当時相川鉱山町の人口はいまの全島の人口を超える10万余を数えたといい、島の住民はなんらかの形で鉱山に関連して生きてきた。しかし、鉱山町の盛衰は激しく、金山遺跡は佐渡観光の名所にかわっている。島本来の主産物は国中平野を中心とする稲作と沿岸漁業で、年間4万トンを産する佐渡米はその半分が移出され、島民の主産業になっている。また、長い海岸線と好漁場に恵まれて、沿岸漁業は県下の三大漁場の一つで、年間水揚高は2万8758トンと県漁獲高の24％（2007）を占めているが、純漁村は少ない。おもな水産物はイカ類、ブリ、スケトウダラを中心に、加茂湖のカキ養殖、真野湾のマダイ・雑魚(ざこ)の養殖、両津湾岸のワカメ養殖など、栽培漁業にかわりつつある。小佐渡海岸の佐渡みそ、おけさ柿(がき)、竹細工品や相川の無名異(むみょうい)焼などの特産も多い。

［山崎久雄］

観光・文化

佐渡は「おけさの島」の名のもとに、年間80万人の観光客を集めている観光の島である。島の観光は中世以来の古い流人文化史跡と、近世の鉱山遺跡に、島特有の段丘地形による海岸景勝地の組合せからなっている。流人文化遺跡は小佐渡山地麓や国中平野に多く、両津港の佐渡汽船ターミナルから小佐渡回り、本線回りの定期バスの便があり、真野の順徳上皇の真野御陵、真野宮、妙宣(みょうせん)寺、新穂(にいぼ)の根本(こんぽん)寺、佐和田の妙照(みょうしょう)寺などの日蓮遺跡が中心をなす。鉱山遺跡は相川が中心で、本線経由の直通バスがある。海岸景勝地巡りは大佐渡山地の外海府(そとかいふ)海岸（国指定名勝）、小木海岸（国指定天然記念物・名勝）が中心で、バスターミナルから定期観光バスが出ている。島の展望台は金井地区の北新保(しんぼ)から相川に通ずる大佐渡スカイラインと、ドンデン山大佐渡ロッジにあって全島の眺めがすばらしく、定期観光バスの便もある。毎年4月に行われる「佐渡島祭」には、鬼太鼓(おんでいこ)、春駒(はるこま)、佐渡おけさ、相川音頭、両津甚句(じんく)などの郷土芸能が披露され、相川、小木、両津などでは常設の芸能館でも観覧できる。また、文化施設には、両津文化会館、本間(ほんま)家能舞台、佐和田の佐渡博物館、相川の佐渡会館、相川郷土博物館、小木の佐渡国小木民俗博物館などがある。なお、日本では新穂にだけ生息していた国際保護鳥トキは、1981年（昭和56）すべて捕獲され、トキ保護センター（現、佐渡トキ保護センター）で飼育されてきた。しかし、2003年（平成15）10月に日本産トキの最後の1羽が死亡し、日本のトキは絶滅した。なお、同センターでは人工繁殖も試みられており、中国産つがいによるヒナが1999年5月に誕生、国内初の成功例となった。

［山崎久雄］

『佐渡教育研究会編『概観佐渡』（1964・金井町同書刊行委員会）』▽『九学会連合編『佐渡　自然・文化・社会』（1963・平凡社）』▽『佐渡地理研究会編『佐渡誌　島の風土とくらし』（1976・佐渡刊行会）』▽『本間国敬著『佐渡郷土辞典』（1950・芸苑社）』