Inujima
Native name: 犬島 | |
|---|---|
 Aerial photo of Inujima, circa 1980 | |
 | |
| Administration | |
Japan | |
| Higashi-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 47 (2017) |
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]
As of 2017[update], Inujima has a population of 47.[2]
Access from mainland
[edit]A ferry service operates between Hōden and Inujima.[3]
Industrial heritage
[edit]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
[edit]
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.[5]
The first phase of the project was to turn the old seirensho copper 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.[6] The museum reuses elements of the refinery and the former house of Yukio Mishima, a Nobel-nominated writer known for his vocal dissent of Japan's modernization.[5]
Population data
[edit]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
[edit]- Seibu Keisatsu (July 1984)[2]
References
[edit]- ^ 区内の住所一覧あ行 [Ward Address List] (in Japanese). Japan: City of Okayama. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b Simms, James. "Japanese Tycoon Soichiro Fukutake Masters The Art Of The Turnaround". Forbes. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ "Following Ando to the Inland Sea | 2015-06-26 | Architectural Record". www.architecturalrecord.com. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
External links
[edit]
- Benesse Art Site Naoshima
- Inujima Island (Okayama Prefectural International Tourism Association)
34°33′45″N 134°05′59″E / 34.56250°N 134.09972°E
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
