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36-405: The second Shō family claims Izena Island to be its ancestral home. Born on the small island lying off the northwestern coast of Okinawa Island , its founder Kanemaru traveled to Shuri in 1441, and became a retainer of Prince Shō Taikyū . He was appointed as the treasurer after Shō Taikyū became the king. After a coup d'état in 1469, Kanemaru set aside King Shō Toku 's family and ascended to

72-448: A land in which the samurai was enfeoffed by the king. Because the Shō family members occupied a large portion of high-ranking positions, they often changed their kamei during the course of their career. A nanori , which was given when the person reached adulthood, consisted of two kanji. The first character, called nanori-gashira , was shared by all the male members of a lineage. In other words,

108-449: A levy of 100 yen for every entry to the island, was introduced in 2005. Mozuke , a type of sea weed , is a major export; its production ranks third in Okinawa prefecture. It is harvested after a growth period of six months. The economy of the people is also sustained by tokobushi , a type of abalone ; the process is being improved to offer a better yield. The total annual income of

144-555: A longer draw of the arrow, and more powerful shots. He fought in the Siege of Shirakawa-den , along with his father, against the forces of Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo , his brother. The palace was set aflame, and Tametomo was forced to flee. After the Hōgen Rebellion , the Taira cut the sinews of Tametomo's left arm, limiting the use of his bow, and then he was banished to

180-535: A separate entity, with intent to make it work as a broker in the shogunate's failed attempt to establish diplomatic relations with China. After several twists and turns, Ryūkyū's position within the shogunate was finalized in 1634. Ryūkyū, with its kokudaka assessed as 123,700 koku , was recognized as part of the Satsuma Domain, though it was excluded from the omotedaka ( 表高 , lit. "face value of kokudaka ") . In 1635, Satsuma Domain ordered Ryūkyū's rulers to use

216-528: A wishful speculation that Shō En's father might have descended from a former king, Sai On's edition of the Chūzan Seifu (1725) explicitly referred to Gihon as a possible ancestor, connecting the second Shō family to the Minamoto clan through Shunten. Under the modern Japanese naming regulation, a person has only two name components, a family name and a given name. Only the last king Shō Tai and his children chose

252-402: Is also associated with the pottery and archaeological ruins found here of the Okinawa's pre-historic Jōmon period (c. 14,000 BC – c. 300 BC). The island has historic sites such as Izena Tamaudun Mausoleum, Izena Castle , a historical fortress built around in the 14th century, and a park which has bronze statue of King Shō En when he was known as Uchima Kanemaru (内間金丸). Izena Island lies in

288-720: Is approximately one hour in duration. There are no airports on the island; Naha Airport on the Okinawa Island offers the nearest air transport. There are two schools on the island, the Izena Elementary School (151 students) and the Izena Junior High School (71 students), which are supported by the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program with an Assistant Teacher in English language . However, for High School

324-442: Is centered around agricultural farming, fisheries and commerce. In 2003, Izena village was declared a "Tourism Village". Naka Bokunen , a well known woodblock artist of the village, also knowledgeable about its history and culture, has been assigned as a Tourism Ambassador and given the task of promoting tourism on the island. To promote environmental concerns and tourism, a tax called the “Izena Village Environmental Cooperation Tax”,

360-559: Is located in the East China Sea , north-west of Okinawa Island , in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan . The island has a diameter of about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and is surrounded by coral reefs, blue sea, and white beaches. It is administered as Izena Village . The five settlements of about equal size and population which are located on the island are Izena, Nakada, Shomi, Uchihana, and Jicchaku (also called Serikyaku). Izena village

396-584: Is on the southern part of the island, which is built on four steel columns with a thatched roof of 5 metres (16 ft) square with eaves of 60 centimetres (24 in) height. The floor is made of mud and the temple belongs to the Tangible Race Cultural Heritage. A notable religious place in the island is the Akara utaki (meaning sacred place) which has two rocky boulders, named umi gitara (sea bluff) and agi gitara (land bluff). The word gitara

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432-424: Is said to have originated from India . Ancestor worship is widely practiced which is a blend of Chinese and Korean beliefs locally adopted in which a mythical love story is linked to the two rocky bluffs of umi gitara and agi gitara said to represent the two lovers who died but made to live by god, as god wished it as if “gazing at each other from a close distance, they are forever in love.” Popular sports in

468-443: The East China Sea , to the northwest of Okinawa Island , and southeast of Iheya Island . Noho Island lies off of Iheya Island's southern tip. Gushikawa Island and Cape Agarizaki lies between Iheya Island and Izena Island. Izena and Iheya are separated only by a narrow strait; the landscape of the two islands is alike with sugarcane fields and cattle farms. The total area is 15.44 square kilometres (5.96 sq mi), and

504-400: The Hōgen Rebellion of 1156. He was the son of Minamoto no Tameyoshi , and brother to Yukiie and Yoshitomo . Tametomo is known in the epic chronicles as a powerful archer and it is said that he once sunk an entire Taira ship with a single arrow by puncturing its hull below the waterline. It is also added in many legends that his left arm was about 4 inches longer than his right, enabling

540-639: The Ryūkyūan religion ) and also celadons , Sueki wares , and other important objects, which are also seen in other gusuku sites. There is a bronze statue of Kanemeru , Shō En's name before his reign, in the park which commemorates his birth in Izena. The tomb holds the remains of Kanemaru. There is an ancient temple to God Asagi in Seriyaku settlement of Izena village. Festivals of harvest of rice , wheat , unzami and Shinigu and other products are held here. The temple

576-486: The "given name", not the "house name", effectively indicated the person's lineage. The king's order of 1691, mentioned above, also designated Chō (朝) as the Shō family's nanori-gashira . The character Chō (朝) was chosen to indicate an affinity to Minamoto no Tametomo (源為 朝 ), who by that time had been considered to be the father of Shunten , the legendary king of Chūzan. While the Chūzan Seikan (1650) only presented

612-632: The Chinese-style surname Shō (and accordingly, Chinese-style given names for males). The other members of the family chose the combinations of kamei and nanori . Hence, the king's younger brother is referred to as Nakijin Chōfu, not Shō Hitsu. The second Shō family adopted as its mon or family crest the mitsudomoe, which is otherwise closely associated with the Shinto deity Hachiman and Hachiman shrines in Japan. It

648-514: The Izena Castle. In 1958, Okinawa Prefecture designated this as a Historical Site. The royal mausoleum is of Shō Shishō, his wife, and daughter (the father, mother, and sister of King Shō Hashi). Izena Castle is a Ryūkyūan gusuku built around the 14th century by Samekawa, son of the Yogura Chief of Iheya Island. It is built over a limestone outcrop about 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level on

684-722: The Japanese god of war, Hachiman , adopted Hachiman's symbol and led an invasion of Kikai Island in 1467, later building the Asato Hachimangū shrine and taking the divine name of Hachiman-aji in response to his victory. Corroborating this was the discovery of a wooden coffin inscribed with a mitsudomoe and the year 1500 found in the Momojana tombs in Northern Okinawa. Izena Island Izena Island ( Okinawan : イジナ , romanized:  Ijina ) ( Japanese : 伊是名島 Izena-jima )

720-676: The diplomatic letter to China, concealing its vassalage to Satsuma. In 1712, Satsuma changed the policy and allowed the ruler to style himself King of Chūzan . In 1872, the Meiji government recognized the Ryūkyū Kingdom as a han and renamed it Ryūkyū Domain ( 琉球藩 , Ryūkyū-han ) , Shō Tai was appointed as Domain King ( 藩王 , han'ō ) . In 1879, the Meiji government abolished the Ryūkyū Domain, and

756-498: The island are soccer , volleyball , and soft tennis . The "IZENA 88" Triathlon is a regular event that is organized during October every year, in Izena village, with participants from Japan and other parts of the world. Izena Island is accessible by the ferry New Izena , which makes two daily round trips between Nakada Port and Unten Port in Nakijin village, which is located north of Nago on Okinawa's main island. The ferry trip

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792-554: The island of Ōshima in the Izu Islands . Tametomo eventually killed himself by slicing his abdomen, or committing seppuku . He is quite possibly the first warrior to commit seppuku in the chronicles. During the Edo period, a descendant of Tametomo named Kitō Heinai ( 鬼頭 兵内 ) was involved in the 1754 Hōreki River incident . He is the focus on Takizawa Bakin ’s novel Chinsetsu yumiharizuki  [ ja ] (Strange Tales of

828-504: The king ordered all the cadet branches to assume the surname Shō (向), no matter how distant they were from the king. This new surname was pronounced the same as the king's one but had a different kanji with fewer strokes (an example of a Naming taboo ). In Ryūkyū's administrative documents and in relation to Satsuma, the Shō family's male members except the king used Japanese-style names, which consisted of kamei (house name), ikai (rank), and nanori (given name). A kamei referred to

864-459: The land and sea. The island's settlement history goes back at least 3000 years. Archeological excavations have revealed many artifacts in the form of axes and knives made of stone and also pottery and human bones. The earliest recorded history is of five lineages lasting over 692 years in the period 1187 to 1879. The Second Shō dynasty ruled between 1470 and 1879, with the first king, Shō En , born on this island. Artifacts related to

900-427: The last king Shō Tai abdicated. After the establishment of Japanese peerage, the last kind Shō Tai was given the rank of marquess. Shō Tai's three close relatives were given the rank of baron. The son of the last regent Ie Chōchoku , who was from a cadet branch of the Shō family, was also given the rank of baron. The Chinese-style surname ( sei ) was used for diplomatic relations with China. The second Shō family took

936-474: The period of this dynasty are seen in the village of Izena. King Shō En not only applied for “recognition and investiture to enhance the prestige and authority of his family among his countrymen” but had also built an elegant tomb on a small hill and consecrated the remains of his parents; his sister was appointed the chief Noro in Iheya. Sho En showed great reverence to his father and to the predecessors belonging to

972-460: The peripheral sea coast line is 16 kilometres (9.9 mi). The island's topography features a series of mountains spanning from the northwest to the southeast of the island, with generally flat, arable land covering the remainder. The island has several white sandy beaches. Coral reefs form a lagoon or lake and are natural breakwaters. Izena's rocky southern coastline has rock formations such as 'Umi Gitara' and 'Agi Gitara', dramatically rising from

1008-554: The royalty of the First Shō dynasty, whom he had replaced with the Shō Second dynasty. After the Battle of Okinawa and subsequent to liberation day after World War II , two Americans were beheaded on Izena Island. USS Bush and USS Drexler were sunk by kamikaze aircraft to the northwest of the island on 6 April 1945 and 28 May 1945 respectively. The island's main economic activity

1044-489: The south eastern side of the island. The fortress has three sides which are near vertical cliffs; the south, west and east faces of the fortress are rock cliffs, while the northern side provides entry to the castle through a series of steps cut into the hill. There are several chambers in the castle which are separated by walls, built with piled-up pieces of coral limestone , 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height. The chambers have many sacred relics such as utaki (holy enclosures of

1080-526: The students of the Island go to Okinawa Island. According to a leprosy survey carried out in Okinawa Islands, it is reported that Izena Island is one of the highest leprosy endemic islands in the northern part of the Okinawa islands. Minamoto no Tametomo Minamoto no Tametomo ( 源 為朝 , 1139 – April 23, 1170) , also known as Chinzei Hachirō Tametomo ( 鎮西 八郎 為朝 ) , was a samurai who fought in

1116-431: The surname Shō from the first Shō family only to disguise the coup d'état as a normal succession. Domestically, direct references to the king's personal name were avoided because they were considered rude. The royal surname was managed in a rather Japanese-like manner. With some exceptions, only the immediate family members of the king were allowed to take the surname Shō (尚). Cadet branches used different surnames. In 1691,

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1152-552: The throne. Assuming the family name of Shō, he pretended to be the crown prince of Shō Toku , which resulted in his reign being accepted by the Ming dynasty in 1471. The kingdom reached its peak during the reign of the third king Shō Shin . With the approval of the Tokugawa shogunate , the Satsuma Domain conquered Ryūkyū in 1609. The Tokugawa shogunate decided to keep the small polity as

1188-452: The title of kokushi ( 国司 , lit. "provincial governor") instead of "king". After that, the Ryukyuan ruler signed "Ryūkyū kokushi " in the diplomatic letter to Japan. However, the rulers during this period were referred to "kings" ( 王 , ō ) in their Ishizushi  [ ja ] ( 石厨子 ) inscriptions in the family mausoleum Tamaudun . The title King of Chūzan was also remained in

1224-421: The villagers is reported to be 3.47 billion yen, giving a per capita income of 1.78 million yen per person, which is about the same as for the Okinawa Island. Three most prominent monuments on the island are: Izena Tamaudun Mausoleum, the historical fortress of Izena Castle , and a park which has a bronze statue of King Shō En. Izena Tamaudun Mausoleum was built in 1501, during the reign of King Shō Shin, near

1260-527: Was called hidari gomon ( 左御紋 ) in Okinawa. Since it was the royal family's crest, its usage was once severely restricted in Okinawa. Because of this, Okinawans who visited Japan shortly after the annexation of the kingdom were surprised that mitsudomoe banners were flown everywhere. The adoption of the Hidari Gomon is attested to the last ruler of Okinawa's First Shō Dynasty, King Shō Toku . The King, possibly inspired by Japanese pirates who worshipped

1296-583: Was the birthplace of King Shō En (1415–1476), the first king of the Second Shō dynasty of the Ryūkyū Kingdom . Shō Shishō (1402–1439), of the short lived First Shō dynasty , was also from Izena Island. The worshiping rites of Agari Umai (“worship from afar”) and the ritual of welcoming of sea deities are observed in this island. Izena Island is also the birthplace of the contemporary artist Naka Bokunen and musician Irei Shunichi (伊禮俊一). The island

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