Ikitsuki, Nagasaki

Japanese city
Name = Ikitsuki
JapaneseName =生月町
Region = Kyūshū
Prefecture = Kitamatsuura District
Area_km2 = 16.58
AreaMagnitude = 1 E8 m²
Population = 7,215
Density_km2 = 445.84
PopDate = May 1st, 2005
Mayor =
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CityHallPostalCode = 859-5703
CityHallAddress = Nagasaki-shi, Ikitsuki-cho Kitamatsuura-gun Satomen 1660
CityHallPhone = 0950-53-2111
CityHallLink = [http://www.ikitsuki.jp/ 生月町 (in Japanese)]
Footnotes = Now a part of Hirado City. Merged October 1st, 2005.
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Ikitsuki (Japanese: 生月町; -chou) is a former town on the island of the same name located in Kitamatsuura District, Nagasaki, Japan. On October 1, 2005, the town joined the nearby city of Hirado, Nagasaki. Ikitsuki merged with the city of Hirado, the town of Tabira, and the village of Oshima to form the new city of Hirado. As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 7,392 and a density of 445.84 persons per km². The total area was 16.58 km².

Ikitsuki is known historically for two primary reasons: a legacy of whaling and hidden Christians. Near the south end of the island is a fairly well-run museum which talks about both these aspects.

Nearly all the people of Ikitsuki live on the east side of the island. The west side faces out into the open ocean (sea) and is very windy. In addition, much of the west side of the island is cliff-face, with only a few spots which are flat enough even for terraced farming.

The scenery is stunning in Ikitsuki, and has attracted a great number of domestic tourists since road access was available through bridges connecting Hirado Island with the mainland and Ikitsuki Island to Hirado. The dialect of Ikitsuki can be difficult to understand, even for Japanese people who live in nearby towns. However, this is more true among the older people, and "standard" Japanese is spoken in educational and governmental settings.

Economy

Ikitsuki's economy is still mainly supported a niche fishing industry. As fishing and agriculture, in general, are in decline in Japan and other industrialized nations in the world, Ikitsuki's fishing fleet, as well as its tax base, as been declining in recent years. However, as Ikitsuki has been traditionally been dependent on specialty catches, namely squid (ika), and flying fish (ago), the island has weathered Japan's shrinking fishing industry better than most other rural communities.

Education

There are two elementary schools on Ikitsuki - Ikutsuki Elementary School (生月小学校) and Yamada Elementary School (山田小学校). There is one junior high - Ikutsuki Middle School (生月中学校). There is no high school; kids are required to commute off of the island. Many go to high schools in the surrounding communities (Hirado, Tabira, Shikamachi), while a few venture all the way to more academically rigorous high schools Sasebo and Nagasaki, the two largest cities in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Junior High Schools
*Ikitsuki Junior High School (平戸市立生月中学校)

Elementary Schools
*Ikitsuki Elementary School (平戸市立生月小学校)
*Yamada Elementary School (平戸市立山田小学校)

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is Nagasaki Airport in Omura City. By car, it is three hours away. Also approximately the same distance away is Fukuoka Airport in Fukuoka City (Fukuoka Prefecture), which is a large regional air hub in Asia.

Rail

There are no rail links to Ikitsuki. The nearest rail station is found in Tabira (now also a part of Hirado), which is approximately 40 minutes away by car.

Automobile

The Ikitsuki bridge allows automobile access from Ikitsuki to Hirado and the rest of Japan. Previously, the only option to travel off the island was by ferry service to various ports in Kyūshū. Since the merger of Ikitsuki into Hirado City, tolls on the bridge have significantly decreased. Before Oct. 1st, 2005, tolls were 450 yen one way for a yellow plate car (small) and 600 yen for a white plate (large). This has since decreased threefold to 150 yen one way for yellow plate cars, and 200 yen for white plate cars. Access to mainland Kyūshū is through a separate bridge on Hirado Island, which costs 100 yen each way. It takes about 30 minutes to drive from Ikitsuki to Hirado.

Principal Roads:
*Nagasaki Prefectural Highway 42: Hirado-Ikitsuki Line
*Ikitsuki Bridge Toll Road (大橋生月)

Places of Interest

Ikitsuki Island Museum
* This museum, found near the bridge connecting Hirado and Ikitsuki, prominently displays the history of Ikitsuki Island. Featured are legacies of the old whaling industry, as well as the presence of hidden Christians. A full whale skeleton is on display in the main atrium, as well as other numerous artifacts from Ikitsuki's history. Other odds and ends include a famous sumo wrestler from the island. The gift shop features canned whale, and whale hotdogs among its items. Admission is 500 yen, and the museum is open daily. [ [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/sights/museumsdetail.htm#ikitsuki Detailed information on the museums in Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan ] ]

Ikitsuki Daigyoran Kannon Statue

The Ikitsuki Daigyoran Kannon Statue is the largest bronze statue in Japan. The massive statue, completed on April 29th, 1980, is 18m tall and weights 150 metric tons. It rests on a 3m stone foundation, inside of which one can find a Buddhist altar.

"In Japanese Buddhism, Kannon is the Bodhisattva of compassion, and is therefore different from a Buddha as depicted by the famous bronze statues in Nara and Kamakura. The Ikitsuki Daigyoran Kannon prays for world peace and the safety of those that are out on the sea. It also mourns over all shipwrecked people and marine animals. [ [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/sights/templedetails.htm#kannon Details of the temples and shrines of Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan ] ] "

Northern Lighthouse
*description

Saikai National Park
*description

Yamada Church

This church is the last remaining one in Nagasaki Prefecture to have an organized group of Hidden Christians (Kakure Kirishitan) in practice and existence. Located near Yamada Elementary School, this small church holds much history as one of the first and last outposts of Christian belief and persecution in Japan [ [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/sights/churches.htm The beautiful churches of Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan ] ]

Trivia

* The bridge connecting Ikitsuki to the neighboring Hirado Island is the longest continuous truss bridge in the world, measuring in at 1312 ft.

* Ikitsuki was featured in the fictional anime series Samurai Champloo created by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame. One of the three main character's, Fuu, searches for her father, who is a samurai who turns out to be a Christian living on Ikitsuki.

* Is sister cities with the town of Utanobori in Hokkaidō, Japan. Both towns of are similar size and participate in student exchanges at the junior high school level.

* Takanowaka, one of the top hundred sumo wrestlers in Japan, was born and raised in Ikitsuki. He visits the island annually after competing in the Grand Sumo tournament in Fukuoka City each November.

External links

Points of Interest in Ikitsuki Featured on Hirado City's Official Website (English)

* [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/nature/cliffs.htm#Basalt Ikitsuki Basalt Columns (Shiodawara)]
* [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/sights/templedetails.htm#kannon Ikitsuki Daigyoran Kannon Statue]
* [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/sights/museumsdetail.htm#ikitsuki Ikitsuki Island Museum (Shima no Yakata)]
* [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/camping/camping.htm Misaki Camping Site]
* [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/nature/cliffs.htm Obae Hana Lighthouse]
* [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/sights/churches.htm Yamada Church]

Annual Events and Festivals in Ikitsuki

Jan 1st [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/events/janfebmar.htm Ikitsuki Relay Race] (生月島縦断駅伝)
Feb 10th [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/events/janfebmar.htm Ikitsuki Road Race] (いきつきロード大会)
May 3rd-5th [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/events/aprmayjun.htm Ikitsuki Spring Fair] (いきつき春まつり)
End of July [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/events/julaugsep.htm Tachiura Seribune Festival (traditional whaling boat race)] (舘浦競漕船大会)
Aug 16th [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/events/julaugsep.htm Tachiura Suko-odori Dances (traditional dance from Ikitsuki)] (須古踊り)
Sep 27th-28th [http://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/english/events/julaugsep.htm Hirado Two Day Walk] (ひらどツーデーウォーク)

English Articles featuring Ikitsuki's Hidden Christians

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02EFDC163EF936A15751C1A9659C8B63&sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=all Ikitsuki Journal; Once Banned, Christianity Withers in an Old Stronghold] New York Times Article Dec. 25, 2003
* [http://www.samsloan.com/japan-ch.htm Lack of Oppression Hurts Christianity in Japan] New York Times Article Apr. 3, 1997
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925197,00.html Japan's Crypto-Christians] Time Magazine Article
* [http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/ikitsuki.html Photo-Documentary of Christian history in Japan with Concentration on Hidden Christians] St. Olaf College
** [http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/ikitsukipics.html Picture Slideshow From the Same Site]

References