Shodoshima

Japanese: 小豆島 - しょうどしま

The second largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, located in the northeastern sea of Kagawa Prefecture. It has an area of 153 square kilometers. It is located in the eastern part of Bisan Seto, and Awaji Island is located to the east across the Harima Nada Sea. It consists of Tonosho Town and Shodoshima Town in Shozu County, and its affiliated islands include Teshima and others. The Nihon Shoki records that Emperor Ojin visited Shodo Island, and there are also remains of an ancient mountain castle. In the past, it belonged to Kojima County in Bizen Province, and during the Edo period it was directly controlled by the shogunate, but the governance system changed frequently, from the Osaka Town Magistrate, to the Kurashiki Daikan, to the Tsuyama Domain, and the residents suffered. During the Edo period, there was no connection to Sanuki, but in 1871 (Meiji 4), three eastern villages were merged into Kagawa Prefecture, and the following year six western villages were merged into Kagawa Prefecture.

Transportation is provided by regular ferry services from Takamatsu, Okayama, Himeji, Osaka, etc., centering on Tonosho Port, and there are also regular sightseeing buses and route buses on the island. National Route 436 runs through the island.

[Yoshiaki Sakaguchi]

Nature

The terrain is a typical dissecting lava plateau, with a granite base topped by agglomerate, tuff, and pyroxene andesite. The highest point is Mount Hoshigajo at 816 meters, and most of the plateau is about 770 meters high and is called Utsukushinohara. Choshikei is a valley formed on the edge of an andesite cliff, and the strange rocks of Kankakei are a terrain formed by differential erosion of the tuff agglomerate.

The climate is typical of the Seto Inland Sea, but typhoons often cause major disasters with landslides. Weathered granite soil crumbles easily, and the heavy rains of July 1974 (Showa 49) caused landslides mainly in the Tachibana district of Shodoshima Town, resulting in 29 deaths. During Typhoon No. 17 in September 1976, more rain than the annual rainfall fell in six days, causing mudslides in the Tanijiri and Nishimura districts of Shodoshima Town, resulting in 39 deaths. Dense fog from early spring to early summer also makes sea traffic impossible and isolates the island, causing many problems for daily life. Meanwhile, water shortages are serious, and water outages occur almost every year, especially in the former Uchiumi area of Shodoshima Town. For this reason, construction of water storage dams and sabo dams is underway.

Kankakei is a treasure trove of Japan's only Kankakei chives, as well as other rare plants and insects. There are many deer and monkeys among the wild animals. In Choshikei there is a nature park called "Monkey Land" where monkeys are fed. Deer are also protected as they are the prefecture's animal.

[Yoshiaki Sakaguchi]

industry

The soy sauce industry, which began in the Edo period, had a wide market under the name of Shima Shoyu, centered around Nouma in Shodoshima Town, but after World War II it was overtaken by products from Chiba Prefecture, and today the production value of tsukudani (food preserved in soy sauce) exceeds that of soy sauce. Shima Somen, which is said to have been produced by bringing back hand-stretched somen noodles techniques from Miwa in Yamato (Nara Prefecture) in the early modern period, is actively produced mainly in the former Ikeda Town area of Shodoshima Town. Since 1950, illuminated chrysanthemums have been cultivated in greenhouses in the former Ikeda Town area, making it one of the leading production areas in the country, and from autumn to winter it looks like a city that never sleeps.

The olive tree, designated as the prefecture's flower and tree, was introduced by the government from the Mediterranean region in 1908 (Meiji 41) and is the symbol of Shodoshima. It once rapidly declined due to frequent pest infestations and the liberalization of olive product imports, but has since recovered.

[Yoshiaki Sakaguchi]

Tourism and Culture

Kankakei Gorge has been known since ancient times, as Emperor Ojin is said to have climbed it, but Shodoshima became especially famous after the film adaptation of "Twenty-Four Eyes" in 1954 (Showa 29). The original novel was written by island native Tsuboi Sakae, and a statue of 12 children and a female teacher stands at Tonosho Port, the gateway to the island. Many pilgrims visit Shodoshima, known as the island of Shikoku, to visit the 88 temples.

On the island, there is the "Hitoyama Stage," where rural kabuki (local theater) is dedicated to the local deity, and the "Ikeda Sajiki," for viewing festivals (both of which are designated as important tangible folk cultural properties by the national government). The remains of the stone cutting site of the Osaka Castle stone wall are designated as national historic sites, and the Shinpaku of Hosho-in Temple is designated as a special natural monument.

[Yoshiaki Sakaguchi]

"Our Shodoshima" (1971, Shodo District Education Association) ▽ "Shodoshima" by Sakae Tsuboi (1980, Kofusha Publishing) ▽ "Shodoshima Pilgrimage and Travel" by Kohei Tominaga (2003, Toki Shobo)

Kankakei
Setonaikai National Park. Nationally designated scenic spot Shodoshimacho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture ©Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association

Kankakei

Natural Park "Monkey Kingdom"
Tonosho Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture ©Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association

Natural Park "Monkey Kingdom"

Shodoshima Olive Garden
The first private olive garden in Japan, located on Shodoshima Island, the birthplace of olive cultivation in Japan. It is home to the oldest olive tree in Japan. Shodoshima Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture ©Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association

Shodoshima Olive Garden

Nakayama Rural Kabuki
The setting is a nationally designated important tangible folk cultural property. Shodoshima Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture ©Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association

Nakayama Rural Kabuki

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

香川県の北東部海上にある瀬戸内海第二の島。面積153平方キロメートル。備讃(びさん)瀬戸の東部に位置し、東には播磨灘(はりまなだ)を介して淡路(あわじ)島がある。小豆(しょうず)郡土庄(とのしょう)町、小豆島(しょうどしま)町からなり、属島に豊島(てしま)などがある。『日本書紀』には応神(おうじん)天皇が小豆島に遊んだという記載があり、古代の山城(やまじろ)跡などもある。古くは備前国(びぜんのくに)児島(こじま)郡に属し、江戸時代には幕府直轄地であったが、大坂町奉行(まちぶぎょう)、倉敷代官、津山藩預かりと支配体制がよく変わり、住民は苦しめられた。江戸時代には讃岐(さぬき)との関係はなかったが、1871年（明治4）東部3村が、翌年西部6村が香川県に合併された。

　交通は、土庄港を中心に高松、岡山、姫路、大阪などからの定期船便があり、島内では路線バスの運行のほか定期観光バスもある。国道436号が通じる。

［坂口良昭］

自然

地形は典型的な開析溶岩台地で、花崗(かこう)岩を基盤に集塊岩、凝灰岩、両輝石安山岩がのっている。最高点は星ヶ城山(ほしがじょうさん)の816メートルで、台地面の大部分は770メートル程度で美しの原とよばれている。安山岩の崖端(がいたん)にできた渓谷が銚子渓(ちょうしけい)であり、凝灰集塊岩の部分が差別侵食されてできた地形が寒霞渓(かんかけい)の奇岩怪石群である。

　気候は典型的な瀬戸内海型であるが、台風時にはしばしば土砂崩れを伴う大災害をおこす。花崗岩の風化土は崩れやすく、1974年（昭和49）7月の七夕豪雨(たなばたごうう)では小豆島町橘(たちばな)地区を中心に山崩れが発生し29人の死者が出た。1976年9月の17号台風のときは、6日間で年降水量以上の雨が降り、小豆島町谷尻(たにじり)地区や西村地区などに土石流が発生し39人の死者を出した。春先から初夏の濃霧の発生も、海上交通が不能になり孤島化するので生活上問題が多い。一方、水不足も深刻で、とくに小豆島町の旧内海町域では毎年のように断水問題が起きている。そのため貯水用ダムや砂防ダムの築造が進んでいる。

　寒霞渓は日本唯一というカンカケイニラやその他貴重な植物や昆虫の宝庫である。野生動物はシカとサルが多い。銚子渓には自然公園「お猿の国」があり餌(え)づけが行われる。シカは県獣でもあって保護されている。

［坂口良昭］

産業

江戸時代に始まるしょうゆ業は、小豆島町苗羽(のうま)を中心に島しょうゆの名で広い販路をもっていたが、第二次世界大戦後は千葉県産に押され、現在では佃煮(つくだに)の生産額がしょうゆの生産額を上回っている。近世初期に大和(やまと)（奈良県）三輪(みわ)から手延べそうめんの技法を持ち帰ったといわれる島そうめんは、小豆島町の旧池田町域を中心に盛んに生産される。1950年（昭和25）以来、旧池田町域では電照ギクのハウス栽培が行われ、全国屈指の産地となっており、秋から冬にかけては不夜城の観を呈する。

　県花・県木に指定されているオリーブは1908年（明治41）に政府が地中海地方から導入したもので、小豆島のシンボルである。害虫の多発、オリーブ製品の輸入自由化などのため一時急速に衰退したが、その後回復している。

［坂口良昭］

観光・文化

寒霞渓は応神天皇が登ったと伝えられ、古くから知られているが、小豆島がとくに有名になったのは1954年（昭和29）の『二十四の瞳(ひとみ)』の映画化以後のことである。原作は島出身の壺井栄(つぼいさかえ)の小説で、島の玄関口の土庄港には12人の子供と女先生の群像が立つ。島四国とよばれる小豆島八十八か所巡りに訪れる遍路も多い。

　島では歌舞伎(かぶき)を氏神に奉納する農村歌舞伎（地芝居）が残り「肥土山(ひとやま)の舞台」、また祭礼見物用の「池田の桟敷(さじき)」（ともに国指定重要有形民俗文化財）がある。国史跡に大坂城石垣石切丁場(いしきりちょうば)跡、特別天然記念物に宝生院(ほうしょういん)のシンパクがある。

［坂口良昭］

『『わたくしたちの小豆島』（1971・小豆郡教育会）』▽『壺井栄著『小豆島』（1980・光風社出版）』▽『富永航平著『小豆島遍路と旅』（2003・朱鷺書房）』