1 Guidance Theater

An Island Formed by Two Volcanoes, Floating in the Kuroshio Current

Hachijojima is a gourd-shaped island formed by the joining of two volcanoes. The warm Kuroshio Current, which originates near the Philippines, flows around the island, giving it a warm and rainy climate. The main stream of the Kuroshio Current flowing between Hachijojima and Mikurajima is a swift current called the "Kurose-gawa," and was once a perilous stretch of sea. Hachijojima was said to be a solitary island in the distant sea, but there is evidence of human habitation from the Jomon period, and there has been exchange with various regions via the sea since prehistoric times. Influenced by drifting ships and exiles from various regions, Hachijojima is known as a "melting pot of Japanese culture," retaining a variety of old cultures from across Japan.

Five Villages – Sakaue and Sakashita

Hachijojima is composed of five villages spread across the foothills of its two mountains, and they are referred to as the Sakaue (up-slope) and Sakashita (down-slope) areas. To get from the Sakashita area to the Sakaue area, one had to cross the Osaka-toge Pass (now a tunnel) between Okago and Kashitate, or the Toryu-toge Pass from Mitsune to Sueyoshi, making travel between them difficult in the past. Mihara-yama (Higashi-yama) is a volcano that became active about 100-odd thousand years ago. With its fertile soil and abundant water, villages developed around it, and it became the only place in the Izu Islands where rice was cultivated. Hachijo-Fuji (Nishi-yama) became active about 10,000 years ago and is the highest mountain in the Izu Islands. A government office was established in the flat Okago area during the Edo period, making it the political and economic center of the island.