Inujima
Inujima (犬島, [inɯdʑima], lit. "Dog Island") is a Japanese island in the Seto Inland Sea, located near the coast of Okayama Prefecture. It is part of Higashi-ku, Okayama.[1]
Native name: 犬島 | |
|---|---|
 Aerial photo of Inujima, circa 1980 | |
| Administration | |
Japan | |
| Higashi-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 47 (2017) |
As of 2017, Inujima has a population of 47.[2]
Access from mainland
A ferry service operates between Hōden and Inujima.[3]
Industrial heritage
A copper refinery was opened on the island in 1909, but this closed in 1919.[2] The brick-built refinery remained largely undemolished, and from 2008, it formed the centrepiece of a large-scale art project designed to stimulate tourism to the island.[4]
Inujima Art Project
The Inujima Art Project (犬島アートプロジェクト) is a rehabilitation project covering the entire island by the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation, a project of Benesse Corporation. It opened to the public in April 2008. The first phase of the project was to turn the old seirensho refinery into a model of contemporary architecture and art to recycle the Japanese industrial heritage. It was the coordinated efforts of the architect Hiroshi Sambuichi and Yukinori Yanagi who collaborated with the architect in his artwork, and the Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology at Okayama University.
Population data
The population of the island has changed over the years as follows.[2]
| Year | Population | Number of households |
|---|---|---|
| 1822 | 80 | 18 |
| 1862 | 110 | 22 |
| 1919 | 1,200 | 240 |
| 1935 | 1,500 | 280 |
| 1945 | 982 | 241 |
| 1951 | 1,350 | 242 |
| 1955 | 843 | 220 |
| 1960 | 629 | 189 |
| 1969 | 750 | 190 |
| 1975 | 353 | 133 |
| 1984 | 224 | 93 |
| 1991 | 130 | 70 |
| 1996 | 115 | 59 |
| 2001 | 79 | 49 |
| 2002 | 70 | 45 |
| 2005 | 72 | 44 |
| 2017 | 47 | 35 |
Film locations
- Seibu Keisatsu (July 1984)[2]
References
- 区内の住所一覧あ行 [Ward Address List] (in Japanese). Japan: City of Okayama. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- 犬島の歴史 [The History of Inujima] (in Japanese). Japan: City of Okayama. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- 運航ダイヤ [Ferry service] (in Japanese). Japan: Nikkan Kaiji Tsushin Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 January 1999. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- "Inujima Island". Japan: japan-guide.com. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
External links
- Benesse Art Site Naoshima
- Inujima Island (Okayama Prefectural International Tourism Association)