Niijima

An active volcanic island in the Izu Islands. It is located about 4 km southwest of Oshima, under the jurisdiction of the Oshima Branch Office of Tokyo. It is about 11 km north to south, 3 km east to west, has an area of ​​about 23 square kilometers, and an elevation of 432 meters (Mt. Miyatsuka). It has a population of 2,472 (2009), and together with Shikinejima Island, which has a population of 562 (2009), it forms the village of Niijima. It has many lava domes made of white, porous rhyolite, which is widely used as a lightweight, fire-resistant stone called "fire-resistant stone." It was an island of exiles until 1871 (Meiji 4). It is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and has seen a rapid increase in tourists in recent years. It is home to Choei-ji Temple, which has a large ginkgo tree, and Jusansha Shrine, which has cycads and ogataminogi trees. The only recorded eruption was at Mt. Mukou in the early Ninna era (885-889), and although there is a hot spring at Sakui, there are no fumarolic or geothermal areas. In recent years, there have been frequent clusters of earthquakes near the island. Regular ferries run daily from Tokyo's Takeshiba Pier, via Oshima and Toshima, and also operate between the island and Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture. Regular flights are available between the island and Tokyo's Chofu Airport.

[Akira Suwa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

伊豆諸島の活火山島。東京都大島支庁管内で、大島の南西約4キロメートル。南北約11キロメートル、東西約3キロメートル、面積約23平方キロメートル、標高432メートル（宮塚山）。人口2472（2009）で、人口562（2009）の式根島(しきねじま)とともに新島村をなす。白色で多孔質の流紋岩の溶岩円頂丘が多く、軽量・耐火の石材「抗火石(こうかせき)」として広く活用されている。1871年（明治4）まで流人の島であった。富士箱根伊豆国立公園の一部で、近年観光客が急増。イチョウの大樹のある長栄寺や、ソテツ、オガタマノキのある十三社神社(じゅうさんしゃじんじゃ)がある。有史以後の噴火は向(むこう)山の仁和年間（885～889）初年の噴火だけで、作井による温泉はあるが、噴気・地熱地帯はない。近年も島の付近でよく地震が群発している。定期船は東京・竹芝桟橋より、大島・利島経由で毎日運行、静岡県下田との間でも運行されている。航空便は東京調布飛行場との間に定期便がある。

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