Tamashima

A district of Kurashiki City in the southwest of Okayama Prefecture. Formerly Tamashima City (established as a city in 1952). Located at the mouth of the Takahashi River on the right bank, the alluvial action of the Takahashi River and land reclamation since the Edo period have formed a rice paddy area, and the islands that once existed were connected to the mainland. Tamashima Port developed as a hub for water transportation along the Takahashi River and the Seto Inland Sea route in the early modern period, but its port function declined with the opening of the railway in the Meiji period. In the Meiji period, it became one of the centers of the prefecture's spinning industry, and during World War II, the coast was reclaimed for industrial use, and it is now part of the Mizushima coastal industrial area. Tamashima Harbor Island, at the southern end of the reclaimed land, is being developed as an international logistics hub. Entsu-ji Temple is where Ryokan trained for over a decade, and the entire temple grounds are now Entsu-ji Park, a prefectural designated place of scenic beauty. JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen Shin-Kurashiki Station and the Tamashima Interchange on the Sanyo Expressway are located to the north of the city.

[Shogo Yuihama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岡山県南西部、倉敷市の一地区。旧玉島市（1952市制）。高梁(たかはし)川右岸河口部にあり、高梁川の沖積作用と江戸時代からの干拓により水田地域が形成され、かつての島々は陸繋(りくけい)された。玉島港は近世には高梁川水運と瀬戸内海航路の結節点として発達したが、明治の鉄道開設で港湾機能は衰えた。明治時代には県の紡績工業の一中心となり、第二次世界大戦中には工業用地として海岸が埋め立てられ、現在は水島臨海工業地域の一部となっている。埋立地南端の玉島ハーバーアイランドは国際物流拠点として整備が進められている。円通寺は良寛が十数年修行したところで、寺域一帯は県指定名勝の円通寺公園になっている。JR東海道・山陽新幹線新倉敷駅、山陽自動車道玉島インターチェンジが市街地北方にある。

［由比浜省吾］

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