Miyato Island

An island at the mouth of Matsushima Bay in central-eastern Miyagi Prefecture. It has an area of ​​about 8 square kilometers. It is part of Higashi Matsushima City. It was the largest island in Matsushima Bay, but it became a toll island when the Suzakihama sand spit, which extends from the mouth of the Naruse River, was created. The Oku Matsushima Park Line runs through the center of the island. There are 1,200 hectares of cultivated land, but fishing is the main industry, and oyster and seaweed farming is thriving. It is part of the Special Place of Scenic Beauty Matsushima, and the coast is made up of tuff sea terraces, and the scenic Sagakei is located at Kayanozaki on the southeastern tip. The view from Otakamori (106 meters), the highest point on the island, is said to be one of the "Four Great Views of Matsushima." Shell mounds are found all over the island, but the Satohama Shell Mound, a nationally designated historic site, has yielded human bones from the Jomon period, and the excavated items are designated as important cultural properties by the government. There is also a stone shrine that enshrines a large stone pole as its sacred object. The associated islands include Hashima, Kinoshima, Nakanoshima, Karatoshima, Takashima, and Tsukushima.

[Kiyotaka Sakaida]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

宮城県中東部の松島湾口にある島。面積約8平方キロメートル。東松島市(ひがしまつしまし)に属す。松島湾内の最大の島であったが、鳴瀬川河口から延びた洲崎(すざき)浜砂嘴(さし)によって陸繋島(りくけいとう)となった。島の中央を奥松島パークラインが走る。1200ヘクタールの耕地があるが、漁業を主とし、カキ、ノリの養殖が盛ん。特別名勝松島の一部で、海岸は凝灰岩の海食台からなり、南東端の萱野(かやの)崎には景勝地嵯峨渓(さがけい)がある。島の最高所大高森(おおたかもり)（106メートル）からの眺望は「松島の四大観」の随一といわれる。貝塚は全島に分布するが、とくに国指定史跡の里浜貝塚(さとはまかいづか)は縄文時代の人骨を出土し、出土品は国指定重要文化財。大型石棒を御神体とする石神社もある。付属島として波(は)島、木ノ島、中ノ島、唐戸(からと)島、高島、ツク島などがある。

［境田清隆］

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