Kamikoshiki Island

Native name: 上甑島 Kamikoshiki-jima
Kamikoshiki-jima is marked as (1)
Kamikoshiki Island Location in Japan
Geography
Location	East China Sea
Coordinates	31°50′06″N 129°53′20″E / 31.835°N 129.889°E / 31.835; 129.889
Area	45.08 km2 (17.41 sq mi)
Length	11 km (6.8 mi)
Width	4 km (2.5 mi)
Highest elevation	423 m (1388 ft)
Highest point	Tomekiyama
Administration
Japan
Prefecture	Kagoshima Prefecture
city	Satsumasendai
Demographics
Population	2488 (2010)
Pop. density	55/km2 (142/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Japanese

Kamikoshiki Island (上甑島, Kamikoshiki-jima) is the second largest island in the Koshikijima Islands. Its coasts are washed by East China Sea. The island's highest peak is Mount Tomekiyama 423 m (1,388 ft) high.

Settlements and administrative units

• Sato village [ja]
• Kamikoshiki, Kagoshima
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Nakakoshiki [ja]
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Nakano [ja]
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Eishi [ja]
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Oshima [ja]
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Segami [ja]
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Kawanoura [ja]
  • Kamikoshiki-Chō Taira [ja]

Geography

The island's mountains are generally raising directly from the sea, with the very small coastal plains. Terrain is rugged, although not to the same degree as on nearby Shimokoshiki-jima. The north-eastern coast features a 5-km long sandspit enclosing three shallow lagoons. The population is concentrated in extreme east of island in the Sato village [ja] placed on low sandspit 1400 by 250 metres large, being the largest settlement of Japan ever built on the sandspit.

History

The island was inhabited from the Jōmon period and have an important archaeological sites. It was inhabited by Satsuma Hayato people during Nara period. The first Japanese fortifications on island were built during Jōkyū War in 1221. The island was belonging to Christian domain during Nanboku trade period and islanders has participated in the Shimabara rebellion of 1638. The Kamikoshiki-jima has suffered from the same string of epidemics, famine and typhoon-related damage as nearby Shimokoshiki-jima in 19th and 20th centuries, resulting in significant emigration and population decline which peaked at 11166 men in 1950.

Transportation

Kamikoshiki-jima is connected to Nakakoshiki-jima and Shimokoshiki-jima by a bridge and two connecting tunnels, which were completed on 29 August 2020 after more than 9 years of construction. Ferry lines connect Kamikoshiki-jima to Shimokoshiki-jima and Ichikikushikino, a city on the Kyushu mainland. The ferry offers two daily round-trip routes.

Inland, transportation is provided by public buses operating along four routes.