Ojika (Ojika Chō)
Ojika (小値賀町) is a town located in Kitamatsuura District, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.
It covers the island of the same name Ojika, located north of Gotō Islands.
As of the 2020 census, the town has an estimated population of 2,288 and a density of 90 persons per km². The total area is 25.46 km².
The islands of Ojika are part of Saikai National Park.
The town of Ojika is made up of 17 large and small islands, six of which are populated: Ojika, Madara, Kuroshima, Noshima, Mushima, and Ōshima. Over 20 volcanoes can be found in the sea surrounding the island. The area has been called the "Eastern Galapagos Island." The main island is approximately 34 km in circumference, with all islands totaling 97 km in circumference. The islands are found within the boundaries of Saikai National Park, preserving the region's natural heritage.
Stone tools dated from 10,000 B.C. have been discovered on the islands, along with other relics. The first mention of Ojika was in Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. Although Ojika Island is one of the smallest islands in the Gotō Islands, it was characterized as the entrance to the East China Sea. Around the year 1600, whaling became a major industry, with certain families such as the Oda family profiting from the trade. The Oda Whaling Guild, based in Ojika, established a whaling base on Hirado Island in 1692 and operated until 1859. The present day Ojika History Museum was the former home of the Oda family.
71% of trade ceramics on the Gotō Islands were found at sites throughout the islands of Ojika, with another 22% found from the neighboring Ukushima. In 2001, archeological survey was carried out by the Ojika City Board of Education in conjunction with the Kyushu and Okinawa Society for Underwater Archeology at the underwater site of Yamami, situated on a small reef 100 meters from the eastern shore of Ojika in the Karamizaki ward. A number of shards of Thai stoneware, as well as Chinese blue and white pottery, likely from Jingdezhen, dating to the 16th and 17th centuries were found. Many of the ceramics can now be found at the Ojika History Museum. It is likely that many wokou, island pirates, were active around Ojika and Uku.
Ojika and the now-abandoned, neighboring island of Nozaki were some of the islands settled by the Hidden Christians who fled mainland Japan after the ban of Christianity by the Tokugawa shogunate in the 16th century. Following the repeal of the ban in 1873, a small church, the Nokubi Christian Church, was built on Nozaki. The remains of the villages on Nozaki are now included as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.
It covers the island of the same name Ojika, located north of Gotō Islands.
As of the 2020 census, the town has an estimated population of 2,288 and a density of 90 persons per km². The total area is 25.46 km².
The islands of Ojika are part of Saikai National Park.
The town of Ojika is made up of 17 large and small islands, six of which are populated: Ojika, Madara, Kuroshima, Noshima, Mushima, and Ōshima. Over 20 volcanoes can be found in the sea surrounding the island. The area has been called the "Eastern Galapagos Island." The main island is approximately 34 km in circumference, with all islands totaling 97 km in circumference. The islands are found within the boundaries of Saikai National Park, preserving the region's natural heritage.
Stone tools dated from 10,000 B.C. have been discovered on the islands, along with other relics. The first mention of Ojika was in Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. Although Ojika Island is one of the smallest islands in the Gotō Islands, it was characterized as the entrance to the East China Sea. Around the year 1600, whaling became a major industry, with certain families such as the Oda family profiting from the trade. The Oda Whaling Guild, based in Ojika, established a whaling base on Hirado Island in 1692 and operated until 1859. The present day Ojika History Museum was the former home of the Oda family.
71% of trade ceramics on the Gotō Islands were found at sites throughout the islands of Ojika, with another 22% found from the neighboring Ukushima. In 2001, archeological survey was carried out by the Ojika City Board of Education in conjunction with the Kyushu and Okinawa Society for Underwater Archeology at the underwater site of Yamami, situated on a small reef 100 meters from the eastern shore of Ojika in the Karamizaki ward. A number of shards of Thai stoneware, as well as Chinese blue and white pottery, likely from Jingdezhen, dating to the 16th and 17th centuries were found. Many of the ceramics can now be found at the Ojika History Museum. It is likely that many wokou, island pirates, were active around Ojika and Uku.
Ojika and the now-abandoned, neighboring island of Nozaki were some of the islands settled by the Hidden Christians who fled mainland Japan after the ban of Christianity by the Tokugawa shogunate in the 16th century. Following the repeal of the ban in 1873, a small church, the Nokubi Christian Church, was built on Nozaki. The remains of the villages on Nozaki are now included as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.
Map - Ojika (Ojika Chō)
Map
Country - Japan
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| Flag of Japan | |
Japan is the eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated and urbanized. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population of 124.8 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37.2 million residents.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPY | Japanese yen | ¥ | 0 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| JA | Japanese language |