Ancient and Medieval Hachijojima

Ancient Hachijojima Belonged to Izu Province

During the Nara and Heian periods, Hachijojima, like the other Izu Islands, is thought to have been incorporated into the ritsuryo state as part of Izu Province. The Izu Islands have long been a site of frequent volcanic eruptions and mountain-building activity, which people considered to be the work of the gods and worshipped as the Mishima Deity. Hachijojima also has shrines worshipped by the provincial governors. (These are called shikinaisha.) In ancient times, Hachijojima was called "Okijima," and one theory is that it later came to be called Hachijojima because it was a producer of Hachijo silk. There are also other explanations that the island's name may have come from "Yatakejima" or "Hacchojima."

The Changing Rulers of Medieval Hachijojima

The name Hachijojima is said to date back to the Kamakura period, based on studies of the period in which the "Tale of Hōgen" was written. In the Kamakura period, Izu Province was controlled by the shogunate and the Hojo clan, but the specifics of their rule over Hachijojima are not clear. In the Muromachi period, Hachijojima came under the control of the Uesugi clan, who served as both the Kanto Kanrei (a key post in the Kamakura government established by the Muromachi shogunate to govern the eastern provinces) and the governor of Izu. Then, Okuyama Sorin, the lord of Kanagawa (the exact location of which is unclear), dispatched a local magistrate to rule Hachijojima. Later, Ise Sozui (Hojo Soun), who had conquered Izu Province, advanced to Hachijojima. The Miura clan of the Miura Peninsula also joined the fray, and they fought for supremacy, but the Hojo clan was victorious, and the 16th century became the era of the Hojo. This conflict is also said to have been over silk fabrics.