Awaji Island
Encyclopedia
is an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

 and Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

. The island has an area of 592.17 km². As a transit between those two islands Awaji originally means "the road to Awa
Awa Province (Tokushima)
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today a part of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. Awa was bordered by Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo Provinces. It was sometimes called .-References:...

", the historic province bordering the Shikoku side of the Naruto Strait
Naruto Strait
is a strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku in Japan. It connects Harima nada, the eastern part of the Inland Sea and Kii Channel. A famous feature of the strait is the Naruto whirlpools. Ōnaruto Bridge, the southern part of Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge crosses over it....

, now part of Tokushima Prefecture
Tokushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is the city of Tokushima.- Tokushima Prefecture and Myodo Prefecture :Long ago, Tokushima City belonged to a region known as Myōdō-gun...

.

Geography

The island is separated from Honshū by the Akashi Strait and from Shikoku by the Naruto Strait
Naruto Strait
is a strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku in Japan. It connects Harima nada, the eastern part of the Inland Sea and Kii Channel. A famous feature of the strait is the Naruto whirlpools. Ōnaruto Bridge, the southern part of Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge crosses over it....

. Since April 5, 1998 it has been connected to Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

 on Honshū by the Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Since its completion the Kobe Awaji Naruto Expressway across the island has been the main eastern land link between Honshū and Shikoku. The Naruto whirlpools form in the strait between Naruto, Tokushima
Naruto, Tokushima
is a city in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.In the quinquennial census of 2010, the city had a population of 61,522 . With a total area of the population density is 454 persons per km².The city was founded on March 15, 1947....

 and Awaji.

The Nojima Fault
Nojima Fault
is a fault that is responsible for the Great Hanshin earthquake. It cuts across Awaji Island. It is a branch of the Japan Median Tectonic Line which runs the length of the southern half of Honshu island....

, responsible for the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...

, cuts across the island. A section of the fault was protected and turned into the Nojima Fault Preservation Museum in the to show how the movement in the ground cut across roads, hedges and other installations. Outside of this protected area the fault zone is less visible.
The and the are located near Fukura.

History

According to the creation myth in Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

 Awaji was the first of the ōyashima islands born from the two kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...

 Izanagi
Izanagi
is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....

 and Izanami
Izanami
In Japanese mythology, is a goddess of both creation and death, as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She is also referred to as Izanami-no-kami.-Goddess of Creation:...

. Awaji constituted a province between the 7th and the 19th century, Awaji Province
Awaji Province
was an old province of Japan covering Awaji Island, between Honshū and Shikoku. Today it is part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is sometimes called . Awaji is divided into three municipal sections: Awaji is the northernmost section, Sumoto is the most urban and central section, and four southern towns...

, and was a part of Nankaidō
Nankaido
The , literally meaning "southern sea road," is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The road connected provincial capitals in this region...

. Today the island consists of three municipalities, Awaji
Awaji, Hyogo
is a city located on Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.Awaji City was founded on 1 April 2005 from the merger of the former town of Awaji with the towns of Tsuna, Higashiura, Hokudan, Ichinomiya, all in Tsuna District....

, Sumoto
Sumoto, Hyogo
is a city located on Awaji Island, Hyōgo, Japan. The city was founded on February 11, 1940.As of March 31, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 50,087 and a density of 267 persons per km²...

 and Minamiawaji
Minamiawaji, Hyogo
is a city located in the southern part of Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.The city was formed on 11 January 2005 from the merger of all four towns of the former Mihara District: Mihara, Midori, Nandan and Seidan...

.

The Awaji Ningyō-Jōruri, an over 500-year-old form of traditional puppet theater or ningyō-jōruri, daily performs several shows in the in Minamiawaji, Hyōgo
Minamiawaji, Hyogo
is a city located in the southern part of Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.The city was formed on 11 January 2005 from the merger of all four towns of the former Mihara District: Mihara, Midori, Nandan and Seidan...

 in the southern part of the island and is designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage
Intangible Cultural Heritage
The concept of intangible cultural heritage emerged in the 1990s, as a counterpart to the World Heritage that focuses mainly on tangible aspects of culture...

 of Japan. The Awaji puppets perform popular traditional dramas but have their origins in religious rituals.

Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando
is a Japanese architect whose approach to architecture was once categorized by Francesco Dal Co as critical regionalism. Ando has led a storied life, working as a truck driver and boxer prior to settling on the profession of architecture, despite never having taken formal training in the field...

 designed several structures on the island, amidst them the and the Awaji Yumebutai
Awaji Yumebutai
The Awaji Yumebutai is a conference center, hotel and memorial in Awaji, Hyōgo built in the wake of the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake. It was designed by Tadao Ando.-External links:*...

, both located in Awaji, Hyōgo
Awaji, Hyogo
is a city located on Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.Awaji City was founded on 1 April 2005 from the merger of the former town of Awaji with the towns of Tsuna, Higashiura, Hokudan, Ichinomiya, all in Tsuna District....

.

In 1995, this island was the epicenter of the Kobe Earthquake which killed over 6,200 people.

External links

Awaji website of Hyōgo prefecture Awaji Island Tourism Association Awaji Island Portal
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