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| Native name: 淡路島 Awaji-shima | |
 Map of Awaji Island |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
  Awaji Island (Japan)
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| Location | Seto Inland Sea |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Area | 592.17 square kilometres (228.64 sq mi) |
| Country | |
 Japan |
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| Prefecture | Hyōgo Prefecture |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 157,000 (as of 2005) |
| Density | 265 people/km² |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese |
Awaji Island (淡路島 Awaji-shima?) is an island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku. As a transit between those two islands Awaji originally means "the road to Awa",1 the historic province bordering the Shikoku side of the Naruto strait now part of Tokushima Prefecture. Awaji was also written as 淡道.
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Geography
The island is separated from Honshū by the Akashi Strait and from Shikoku by the Naruto Strait. Since April 5, 1998 it is connected to Kobe on Honshū by the Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world.2 Since its completion the Kobe Awaji Naruto Expressway across the island has been the main eastern land link between Honshū and Shikoku. The Naruto whirlpool forms in the strait between Naruto, Tokushima and Awaji.
The Nojima fault, responsible for the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, cuts across the island. A section of the fault was protected and turned into the Nojima Fault Preservation Museum (野島断層保存館?) in the Hokudancho Earthquake Memorial Park (北淡町震災記念公園?) to show how the movement in the ground cut across roads, hedges and other installations.3 Outside of this protected area the fault zone is less visible. The Onaruto Bridge Memorial Museum (大鳴門橋記念館 Onarutokyo Kinenkan?) and the Uzushio Science Museum (うずしお科学館 Uzushio Kagakukan?) are located near Fukura.3
History
According to the creation myth of Shinto faith Awaji was the first of the ōyashima islands born from the two kami Izanagi and Izanami.4 Awaji constituted a province between the 7th and the 19th century, Awaji province, and was a part of Nankaidō. Today the island consists of three municipalities, Awaji, Sumoto and Minamiawaji.
The Awaji Ningyō-Jōruri, a over 500-years-old form of traditional puppet theater or ningyō-jōruri, daily performs several shows in the Awaji Ningyō-Jōruri Hall (人形浄瑠璃館?) in Minamiawaji, Hyōgo in the southern part of the island and is designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Japan. The Awaji puppets perform popular traditional dramas but have their origins in religious rituals.5
Tadao Ando designed several structures on the island, amidst them the Hompukuji water temple (本福寺?)67 and the Awaji Yumebutai,89 both located in Awaji, Hyōgo.
Maps
 Awaji municipality on Awaji Island |
 Sumoto municipality on Awaji Island |
 Minamiawaji municipality on Awaji Island |
References
- ^ Martin Bermudez. "Geophysical and Seismic Analysis: Of Two Architectural Wonders". Geolabs-Hawaii Hillside Design Laboratory at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
- ^ James D. Cooper (July/August 1998). "World's Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Japan". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ a b "AWAJI ISLAND and SHODO ISLAND". Japan National Tourist Organization (2001). Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ Genji Shibukawa. "Japanese Creation Myth". Tales from the Kojiki. Harcourt Brace Custom Publishing. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ Hiroko Yamamoto. "Awaji Ningyo Joruri". Asia-Pacific Database on Intangible Cultural Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ Flores Zanchi (September 2002). "Tadao Ando, Water Temple, Hompuki, Japan, 1989-1991". Floornature. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ "Water Temple". Via Travel Design. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ Kari Silloway (2004). "Awaji Yumebutai, Hyōgo, Japan". Galinsky. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
- ^ "About Yumebutai". Awaji Yumebutai International Conference Center (2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
External links
- (Japanese) Awaji website of Hyōgo prefecture
- (Japanese) Awaji Island Tourism Association
- (Japanese) Awaji Island Portal
- Awaji Island travel guide from Wikitravel
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 September 2008, at 15:53.
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