Tashirojima ( ??? ) is a small island in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It lies in the Pacific Ocean of the Oshika Peninsula, west of Ajishima. It is an uninhabited island, although the population is quite small (about 100 people, compared to about 1,000 in the 1950s). It has been known as "The Island of Cats" because of the large wild cat population that thrives as a result of local belief that feeding cats will bring wealth and good fortune. The cat population is now larger than the human population on the island. There are no pet dogs on the island due to the large cat population.
The island is divided into two villages/ports: Oodomari and Nitoda. Ajishima, a neighboring island, formerly belongs to the town of Oshika, while Tashirojima is part of the city of Ishinomaki. On April 1, 2005, Oshika joined Ishinomaki, so now the two islands are part of Ishinomaki.
Since 83% of the population is classified as elderly, the villages on the island have been designated as "terminal villages" ???? , < i> genkai-sh? raku ) meaning that with 50% or more of the population aged over 65 years, village survival is threatened. The majority of the people who live on the island are involved either in fishing or hospitality.
The island is also known as Manga Island, as Shotaro Ishinomori is planned to move to the island. There are manga-themed lodges on the island, resembling cats.
Video Tashirojima
Histori
Tashiro Elementary School was closed in 1989 and turned into an educational center. The educational center closed in 2008. Pulau Manga, a tourist facility, was built in 2000. The 6km and 10km race is called Hyokkori Hy? Tan Tashirojima Marathon was held in 2007.
In 2011, the island was hit by a tsunami Tsunami. Victim reports show extensive damage in some areas of the island, but the cat population appears to survive relatively intact.
Maps Tashirojima
Cat population
At the end of the Edo period of Japan, many islands are lifting silk worms for their textiles. Residents keep cats to drive rats out of their precious silk worms. Over time, the population of these cats left un-castrated began to grow immensely while the human population was reduced to less than 100 inhabitants. To this day, the wild cat population exceeds 6 to 1 in this small Japanese island.
However, residents and thousands of tourists who flock to Tashirojima each year do not mind being overtaken by their cat friends. In Japanese culture, cats are thought to bring good luck, it is said to bring money and good fortune to everyone who crosses their path. Some even claimed that it was the cat that kept most of the island destroyed during the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Cat shrine
There is a small cat temple, known as Neko-jinja ( ??? ) , in the center of the island, approximately lies between two villages. In the past, islanders raised silkworms for silk, and cats were kept to keep the mice populations down (because mice are natural predators of silkworms). Fishing with nets remains popular on the island after the Edo Period and fishermen from other regions will come and stay overnight on the island. The cats will go to the inn where the fishermen live and ask for the rest. Over time, the fishermen develop cat favorites and observe the cat closely, interpreting their actions as weather forecasts and fish patterns. One day, when the fishermen collected stones for use with a fixed net, a wild rock fell and killed one of the cats. The fishermen, feeling sorry for the loss of a cat, buried it and perpetuated it at this location on the island.
There are at least ten cat shrines in Miyagi Prefecture. There are also 51 stone monuments in the form of cats, which is an unusually high number compared to other prefectures. In particular, these temples and monuments are concentrated in the southern part of the island, which overlaps with areas where silkworms are raised.
Mention in media
In 2004, a couple moved to the island from Sendai and opened an inn for travelers named Hamaya. In 2006, they started a blog about the island and its inhabitants. On May 20, 2006, Terebi Asahi filmed an episode of Jinsei no Rakuen ( ????? ) on the island, which mentions a large cat population. The movie Fuji Terebi Nyanko the Movie ( THE MOVIE ) shows stories about Droopy-Eared Jack ( ??????? , Tare Mimi Jack ) , one of the cats on the Island. The film is screened into the series, the latest being Nyanko the Movie 4 released in July 2010. Each installation has included updates on Jack. As a result, many cat lovers come to the island and special tour packages to "find Jack" are now available. Photo contest and cat exhibitions are now held on the island.
In 2012, the BBC in the UK, presenting a short television series called Pets - Wild at Heart , featuring pet behavior, including the island's cat.
In 2015, Landon Donoho, an independent filmmaker, funded the production of a documentary film entitled "Island of Heaven Cats". It follows the stories of islanders, both old and new, humans and cats.
Local product
- Oysters
- Abalone
Access
- 40 minutes on Ajishima Line (ferry). Tashirojima is about 15 km from downtown Ishinomaki.
See also
- Aoshima, Ehime, "Another Cat Island" in Japan
- Okunoshima, often called "Usagi-jima" ("Rabbit Island") because of the many wild rabbits that roam the island
References
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Tashirojima travel guide from Wikivoyage
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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