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is an island of the Japanese archipelago situated in-between the Tsushima Strait and
Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a sea passage in East Asia between Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the Western Channe ...
, approximately halfway between
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
and the Korean Peninsula. The main island of Tsushima, once a single island, was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakoshiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal. These canals were driven through isthmuses in the center of the island, forming "North Tsushima Island" ( Kamino-shima) and "South Tsushima Island" (
Shimono-shima is the southern end of Tsushima Island, which lies in the Korea Strait between the East China Sea to the south and the Sea of Japan to the north, and Korea to the west and mainland Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku ...
). Tsushima also incorporates over 100 smaller islands, many tiny. The name ''Tsushima'' generally refers to all the islands of the Tsushima archipelago collectively. Administratively, Tsushima Island is in
Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. Naga ...
. The island group measures about by and had a population of about 34,000 . The main islands (that is, the "North" and "South" islands, and the thin island that connects them) are the largest coherent satellite island group of
Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. Naga ...
and the eighth-largest in Japan. The city of
Tsushima, Nagasaki is an island city grouped in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the only city of Tsushima Subprefecture and it encompasses all of Tsushima Island Archipelago, which lies in the Tsushima Strait north of Nagasaki on the western side of Kyushu, the ...
lies on Tsushima Island and is divided into six boroughs.


Geography

Tsushima Island is located west of the Kanmon Strait at a latitude between
Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separat ...
and
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
of the Japanese mainland. The
Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a sea passage in East Asia between Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the Western Channe ...
splits at the Tsushima Island Archipelago into two channels; the wider channel, closer to the mainland of Japan, is the Tsushima Strait. Ōfunakoshi-Seto and Manzeki-Seto, the two canals built in 1671 and 1900 respectively, connect the deep indentation of
Asō Bay is a large, complex inlet that nearly cleaves in two the Japanese island of Tsushima. The bay is notable for its ria coastline, with many peninsulas and various small islands found in close proximity to the shore. It forms part of the Iki-Tsush ...
(浅茅湾) to the east side of the island. The archipelago comprises over 100 smaller islets in addition to the main island. Tsushima is the closest Japanese territory to the Korean Peninsula, lying approximately 50 km from
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
. On a clear day, the hills and mountains of the Korean peninsula are visible from the higher elevations on the two northern mountains. The nearest Japanese port, Iki, situated on Iki Island within the
Tsushima Basin The or Ulleung Basin (울릉분지 ulleung bunji) is an oceanic basin located where the Sea of Japan meets the Korea Strait. It lies immediately south of Ulleung-do and Liancourt Rocks, in the eastern end of the South Korean EEZ and the wester ...
, is also 50 km away. Tsushima Island and Iki Island are collectively within the borders of the
Iki–Tsushima Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park on Iki Island and Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 22 July 1968 and has an area of . See also * List of national parks of Japan and in Japan are places of scenic beauty designated f ...
, designated as a nature preserve and protected from further development. Much of Tsushima (89%) is covered by natural vegetation and mountains. Tsushima Island has many mountains such as the Mt. Ohira, Mt. Yatate, Mt. Hokogatake, Mt. Koyasan, Mt. Ontake, Mt. Gogen. The Government of Japan administers Tsushima Island as a single entity despite the artificial waterways that have separated it into two islands. The northern area is known as Kamino-shima (上島), and the southern island as
Shimono-shima is the southern end of Tsushima Island, which lies in the Korea Strait between the East China Sea to the south and the Sea of Japan to the north, and Korea to the west and mainland Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku ...
(下島). Both sub-islands have a pair of mountains. Shimo-no-shima has Mount Yatate (矢立山), standing high,国土交通省国土地理院 九州地方測量部「長崎県山岳標高」
- Kyushu Regional Survey Department, Geographical Survey Institute, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan
and Ariake-yama (有明山), at high. Kami-no-shima has Mi-take (御嶽), . The two main sections of the island are now joined by a combination bridge and causeway.Water level view of the junction between the two islands of Tsushima Island
/ref> The island has a total area of . File:Aso_Bay_viewed_from_Mount_Jo-2.jpg,
Asō Bay is a large, complex inlet that nearly cleaves in two the Japanese island of Tsushima. The bay is notable for its ria coastline, with many peninsulas and various small islands found in close proximity to the shore. It forms part of the Iki-Tsush ...
from Shiroyama File:Top-Mount-Shiroyama-and-Aso-Bay-Tsushima.jpg, Top of Mount Shiroyama and
Asō Bay is a large, complex inlet that nearly cleaves in two the Japanese island of Tsushima. The bay is notable for its ria coastline, with many peninsulas and various small islands found in close proximity to the shore. It forms part of the Iki-Tsush ...
in Tsushima File:Asou-Bay_ria_coast_aerial_photograph.JPG, Aerial photo of Asō Bay and around Ochikiri Island (1977) File:Tsushima island en.png, Tsushima Island, located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan


Climate

Tsushima has a marine humid subtropical climate strongly influenced by monsoon winds. The average temperature is ,Meteorologic data in Izuhara (厳原), Tsushima by Japan Meteorological Agency
/ref> and the average yearly precipitation is 2,132.6 mm. The highest temperature ever recorded on the island is , on 20 August 2013, and the lowest , in 1895.Meteorologic data in Izuhara (厳原), Tsushima by Japan Meteorological Agency
- most ~ 10th largest value on record
Throughout most of the year, Tsushima is 1–2 °C cooler than the city of Nagasaki.Meteorologic data in Nagasaki (長崎) by Japan Meteorological Agency
/ref> The island's rainfall is generally higher than that of the main islands of Japan; this is attributed to the difference in their size. Because Tsushima is small and isolated, it is exposed on all sides to moist marine air, which releases precipitation as it ascends the island's steep slopes. Continental monsoon winds carry loess, a dust which is a highly fertile mix of clay and sand, from China in the spring and cool the island in the winter.


Ecology


Fauna

The island's fauna include
leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...
,
Japanese marten The Japanese marten (''Martes melampus'') is a marten species endemic to Japan. Description It is in length typically, not counting a long tail, and between in weight. Males are generally larger than females. The pelage varies in color from d ...
, Siberian weasel, and rodents.
Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes we ...
s were discovered to be living on Tsushima in February 2017. Migrating birds that stop over on the island include hawks, harriers, eagles, and
black-throated loon The black-throated loon (''Gavia arctica''), also known as the Arctic loon and the black-throated diver, is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere, primarily breeding in freshwater lakes in northern Europe and Asia. It winter ...
s. Forests, covering 90% of the island, consist of broad-leafed evergreens, conifers, and deciduous trees including cypress. Honey bees are common, with many used to produce commercial honey. The Tsushima Island pitviper (''Gloydius tsushimaensis'') is a venomous snake endemic to the Tsushima Island. The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
because they support populations of Japanese wood pigeons and Pleske's grasshopper warblers. Tsushima Reef, located in the bay between Tsushima and Iki Island, is the northernmost coral reef in the world, surpassing the Iki Island reef discovered in 2001. It is dominated by cool-tolerant stony or Scleractinian ''
Favia ''Favia'' is a genus of reef-building stony corals in the family Mussidae. Members of the genus are massive or thickly encrusting colonial corals, either dome-shaped or flat, and a few are foliaceous. There is a great diversity of form even am ...
'' corals but the observed settling of tropical ''
Acropora ''Acropora'' is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral. Over 149 species are described. ''Acropora'' species are some of the major reef corals r ...
'' coral is expected to provide an ongoing indicator for continuing global warming.


Flora

The whole island is covered in forest and there are few plains. There are
Yoshino cherry Yoshino may refer to: * Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree * Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy Places * Yoshino, Nara, a town located in Yoshino Distr ...
and '' Chionanthus retusus''. File:Tsushima Cat 001.jpg, Tsushima leopard cat File:Someiyoshino.jpg,
Yoshino cherry Yoshino may refer to: * Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree * Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy Places * Yoshino, Nara, a town located in Yoshino Distr ...
File:Chionanthus_retusus_flower.jpg, '' Chionanthus retusus''


Economy


Industry

According to a 2000 census, 23.9% of the local population is employed in primary industries while 19.7% and 56.4% of the population are employed in secondary and tertiary industries, respectively. Of these economic activities, fishing amounts to 82.6% of the primary industry, with much of it dedicated to catching squid on the eastern coast of the island. The number of employees in the primary industries has been decreasing, while employee growth in the secondary and tertiary industries has been increasing.


Tourism

Tourism, targeting mainly South Koreans, has recently made a great contribution to the islands' economy. The number of Korean tourists to the island increased greatly after the launching of a high-speed ferry service from
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
to the island in 1999. In 2008, 72,349 Koreans visited the island. Due to a drop in the value of the won, the number fell to 45,266 in 2009. Korean tourists generate an estimated ¥2.1 billion in revenue for the local economy and generate about 260 jobs on the island.Kaneko, Maya, (
Kyodo News is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million ...
)
Tsushima's S. Koreans: guests or guerrillas?
, ''
Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
'', 5 March 2010, p. 3.
The island expected around 200,000 visitors from Korea in 2013, surpassing the number of visitors from within Japan for the first time. However, a summer pageant focused on a historical event involving Korean emissaries was cancelled that same year. In 2018, 90% of visitors to Tsushima were from South Korea; however, diplomatic issues between Japan and South Korea led to an 88% decrease (1.7 million fewer visitors) in Korean visitors in 2019. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has further reduced and limited tourism. Tsushima has been gaining popularity as a tourist destination thanks in large part to the samurai action-adventure stealth game ''
Ghost of Tsushima ''Ghost of Tsushima'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player controls Jin Sakai, samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol ...
'' that was released in 2020, with visitors keen to see some of the places featured in the game, as well as discover what the island is like in "real life". This includes trying local culinary specialties such as rokube noodles, ishiyaki, tonchan and anago conger eel.


Tsushima city

Tsushima city was established on 1 March 2004, from the merger of six towns on Tsushima Island: Izuhara, Mitsushima, and Toyotama (all from Shimoagata District), and Mine, Kamiagata, and Kamitsushima (all from Kamiagata District). It is the only city of Tsushima Subprefecture and encompasses the whole island.


Transportation

Tsushima Airport is an airport located northeastAIS Japan
Fukuoka Airport , formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Fukuoka Airport is the principal airport on the island of Kyushu and is the fourth busiest passenger ...
(on
All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had m ...
and
Oriental Air Bridge is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Nagasaki Airport and in Ōmura, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It operates in southern Japan, offering charter services and a scheduled service between Nagasaki and Fukuoka. Its main base is Nagasaki Air ...
) and Nagasaki Airport (Oriental Air Bridge only). There are ferries to Izuhara port, such as Iki via
Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...
port in Fukuoka.


History


Ancient and classical period

In
Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...
, Tsushima was one of the eight original islands created by the Shinto deities
Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the last of the seven generations of ...
and
Izanami , formally known as , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested ...
. Archaeological evidence suggests that Tsushima was already inhabited by settlers from the Japanese archipelago and Korean Peninsula from the
Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between   6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...
to the Kofun period. The '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'', a Chinese historical text, describes a country called ''Duì hǎi guó'' () with a population of more than one thousand households, which is commonly identified with Tsushima. It was one of the about 30 that composed the Yamatai union countries.zhulang.com
These families exerted control over Iki Island, and established trading links with Yayoi Japan. Since Tsushima had almost no land to cultivate, islanders earned their living by fishing and trading. Since the beginning of the early sixth century, Tsushima has been an official province of Japan, known as
Tsushima Province was an old province of Japan on Tsushima Island which occupied the area corresponding to modern-day Tsushima, Nagasaki. It was sometimes called . Political history The origin of Tsushima Province is unclear. It is possible that Tsushima was r ...
(today
Tsushima, Nagasaki is an island city grouped in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the only city of Tsushima Subprefecture and it encompasses all of Tsushima Island Archipelago, which lies in the Tsushima Strait north of Nagasaki on the western side of Kyushu, the ...
.) Under the Ritsuryō system, Tsushima became a province of Japan. This province was linked with Dazaifu, the political and economical center of Kyūshū, as well as the central government of Japan. Due to its strategic location, Tsushima played a major role in defending Japan against invasions from the Asian continent and developing trade lines with
Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jumon ...
and Silla of Three Kingdoms of Korea. After Baekje, which had been aided by Yamato Japan, was defeated in 663 by Sillan and Tang Chinese forces at the
Battle of Baekgang The Battle of Baekgang or Battle of Baekgang-gu, also known as Battle of Hakusukinoe ( ja, 白村江の戦い, Hakusuki-no-e no Tatakai / Hakusonkō no Tatakai) in Japan, as Battle of Baijiangkou ( zh, c=白江口之战, p=Bāijiāngkǒu Zhīzh ...
, Japanese border guards were sent to Tsushima and Kaneda Castle was constructed on the island. Tsushima Province was controlled by officials called Tsushima no kuni no miyatsuko () until the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capi ...
, and then by the Abiru clan until the middle of the 13th century. The role and title of "Governor of Tsushima" was exclusively held by the Shōni clan for generations. However, since the Shōni actually resided in Kyūshū, it was the Sō clan, known subjects of the Shōni, who actually exerted control over these islands. The Sō clan governed Tsushima until the late 15th century.


Feudal period

Tsushima was an important trade center during this period. After the
Toi invasion The was the invasion of northern Kyūshū by Jurchen pirates in 1019. History At the time, Toi (, ''Doe'') meant "barbarian" in the Korean language. The Toi pirates sailed with about 50 ships from direction of Goryeo, then assaulted Tsushima a ...
, private trade started between
Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...
, Tsushima, Iki Island, and Kyūshū, but halted during the Mongol invasions of Japan between 1274 and 1281. The '' Goryeosa'', a history of the Goryeo dynasty, mentions that in 1274, Korean troops of the Mongol army led by
Kim Bang-gyeong Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...
killed a great number of people on the islands. Tsushima became one of the major bases of the Wokou, Japanese pirates, also called ''wakō'', along with Iki and Matsuura. Due to repeated pirate raids, the Goryeo and Joseon at times placated the pirates by establishing trade agreements as well as negotiating with the
Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establis ...
and its deputy in Kyūshū and at other times used force to neutralize the pirates. In 1389, General Pak Wi of Goryeo wiped out Wokou on the island of Tsushima. On 19 June 1419, the recently abdicated king Taejong of Joseon sent general
Yi Jongmu Yi Jong-mu (1360–1425) was a Korean general who led the Oei Invasion of Tsushima Island in 1419. He was noted for leading a fleet of 227 ships and 17,285 soldiers which landed at the Tsushima Island in Aso Bay on June 19, 1419, which was met ...
to an expedition to Tsushima island to clear it of the Wokou pirates, using a fleet of 227 vessels and 17,000 soldiers, known in Japanese as the Ōei Invasion. After suffering casualties in an ambush, the Korean Army negotiated a ceasefire and withdrew on 3 July 1419."朝鮮王朝実録世宗4卷1年7月3日" Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty King SejongVol.4 July

/ref> In 1443, the Daimyō of Tsushima, :ja:宗貞盛, Sō Sadamori proposed the
Treaty of Gyehae The Gyehae Treaty was signed in 1443 ("gyehae" is the Korean name of the year in the sexagenary cycle) between the Joseon dynasty and Sō Sadamori as a means of controlling Japanese piracy and legitimizing trade between Tsushima island and three ...
. The number of trade ships from Tsushima to Korea was decided by this treaty, and the Sō clan monopolized the trade with Korea. In 1510, Japanese traders initiated an uprising against Joseon's stricter policies on Japanese traders from Tsushima and Iki coming to
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
, Ulsan and Jinhae to trade. The So Clan supported the uprising, but it was soon crushed. The uprising later came to be known as the "
Disturbance of the Three Ports The Disturbance of the Three Ports, also known as Sampo Waeran ( ko, 삼포왜란) or Sanpo no Ran ( ja, 三浦の乱), refers to riots in 1510 by Japanese citizens residing in the Korean port cities Dongnae, Changwon and Ulsan. Summary At the ...
" ( 三浦の乱 (Sanbo-No-Ran) in Japan and 삼포왜란 (三浦倭亂, Sampo Waeran) in Korea). Trade resumed under the direction of
King Jungjong Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...
in 1512, but only under strictly limited terms, and only twenty-five ships were allowed to visit Joseon annually.dictionary.goo.ne.jp
/ref> In the late 16th century, Japanese leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi united the various feudal lords (daimyō) under his command and in 1587, Hideyoshi confirmed the Sō clan's possession of Tsushima.
Sō Yoshitoshi was a Sō clan ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the domain of Tsushima on Tsushima Island at the end of Japan's Sengoku period, and into the Edo period. His name is sometimes read as Yoshitomo.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'' -- Sō ...
(宗 義智, 1568 – 31 January 1615) was a Sō clan daimyō (feudal lord) of the island domain of Tsushima. Planning to unite all factions with a common cause, Hideyoshi's coalition attacked Joseon Korea, leading to the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). Tsushima was the main naval base for this invasion, and in continuing support of the war, large numbers of Korean prisoners were transported to Tsushima until 1603. In 1603,
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...
established a new shogunate; and Sō Yoshitoshi was officially granted Fuchū Domain (100,000 koku) in Tsushima Province.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)
''Nobiliare du Japon'' -- Sō, p. 56
Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''.
The
Tsushima-Fuchū Domain , also called the Tsushima domain, was a domain of Japan in the Edo period. It is associated with Tsushima Province on Tsushima Island in modern-day Nagasaki Prefecture. In the han system, Tsushima was a political and economic abstraction based ...
shipyard was built in 1663 CE. There are still ruins of the shipyard on the island. After Japan's attempts at conquest failed, peace was re-established between the two nations. Once again, the islands became a port for merchants. Both the Joseon Dynasty and the
Tsushima-Fuchū Domain , also called the Tsushima domain, was a domain of Japan in the Edo period. It is associated with Tsushima Province on Tsushima Island in modern-day Nagasaki Prefecture. In the han system, Tsushima was a political and economic abstraction based ...
sent their trading representatives to Tsushima, governing trade until 1755. The island was described by
Hayashi Shihei was a Japanese military scholar and a retainer of the Sendai Domain. His name is sometimes transliterated (according to the Sino-Japanese reading) as ''Rin Shihei''. Biography Hayashi was born in Edo as the second son of Hayashi Gonhyoue Yos ...
in ''
Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu by Hayashi Shihei (1738–93) was published in Japan in 1785. This book represents one of the earliest attempts to define Japan in terms of its outer boundaries. It represented a modern effort to distinguish Japan from the neighboring nations. ...
'', which was published in 1785. It was identified as part of Japan. In 1811, for cost reduction, representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate met at Tsushima with ambassadors from the Joseon king (''
Joseon Tongsinsa The Joseon Tongsinsa were goodwill missions sent intermittently, at the request of the resident Japanese authority, by Joseon dynasty Korea to Japan. The Korean noun identifies a specific type of diplomatic delegation and its chief envoys. From ...
''). Until the Meiji, Tsushima was a frontier between Japan and Korea, heavily dependent on the trade with Korea, with unique institutions/systems of trade which strongly resembled those of Korean, not Japanese, institutions - for instance, measurement system for the taxation of land in Japan, is determined by the production of
koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...
s of rice. Tsushima had a low production of rice, so it was permitted to use a unique survey system ( Kendaka (間高)) by Tokugawa shogunate. Because it had originated in China Land Survey System (間尺法), it was similar to the system of Korea - gyeolbu (結負制); Tsushima law resembled Korean law in its calculation of finances. "Unfree labor" or slavery for fixed periods of time, always rare in any form in the rest of Japan, existed as an established institution, often as a form of punishment, in Tsushima as it did in Korea. The Tsushima han owned a place of residence in Busan, according to Murai Shosuke, the Japanese was given the title from the Joseon dynasty is called "marginal men", was responsible for security in this residential area. Lewis also cites the official preparations of Sō Yoshitoshi listing some 1,000 Koreans as guides in preparation for Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea to support a "zone of ambiguous boundary qualities" aspect of Tsushima. The islanders spoke the
Tsushima dialect Tsushima dialect (対馬方言) is a dialect of Japanese spoken on Tsushima Island of Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a ge ...
and their daily customs, social structure, and economic interactions were in Japanese, with exception of loanwords from Korean in their dialect.


Modern period

In an episode now known as the Tsushima incident, the
Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
tried to appropriate the island by establishing a base on the island in 1861. In 1860 this plan had been made by Vice Admiral Ivan Likhachev, commanding the Russian squadron in the waters of Japan and the Commander of the Possadnick, Birilev in co-operation with the Russian Consul at Hakodate Goshkevitch. The plan had been discussed with high authorities at St Petersburg who had given the green light to proceed with it. If the plan would miscarry they would deny all knowledge about it. The Russians were forced to withdraw by Vice Admiral John Hope, Commanding the British ships in the waters of Japan on orders of Sir Rutherford Alcock, representing Britain in Japan and the British government. Support at St Petersburg was given by the British Envoy Lord Napier and the Dutch Envoy Baron Gevers As a result of the abolition of the ''han'' system, the Tsushima Fuchu domain became part of Izuhara Prefecture in 1871. In the same year, Izuhara Prefecture was merged with Imari Prefecture, which was renamed
Saga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasak ...
in 1872. Tsushima was transferred to Nagasaki Prefecture in 1872, and its districts of Kamiagata (上県) and Shimoagata (下県) were merged to form the modern city of Tsushima. This change was part of widespread reforms within Japan which started after 1854. Japan was at this time becoming a modern nation state and regional
power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may ...
, with widespread changes in government, industry, and education. After the First Sino-Japanese War ended with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japan felt humiliated when the Triple Intervention of the three great powers of Germany, France, and Russia forced it to return the valuable Liaodong Peninsula to China under threat of force. Consequently, the Japanese leadership correctly anticipated that a war with Russia or another Western imperial power was likely. Between 1895 and 1904, the Imperial Japanese Navy blasted the Manzeki-Seto canal wide and deep; it was later expanded to wide and deep through a mountainous rocky isthmus of the island between
Asō Bay is a large, complex inlet that nearly cleaves in two the Japanese island of Tsushima. The bay is notable for its ria coastline, with many peninsulas and various small islands found in close proximity to the shore. It forms part of the Iki-Tsush ...
to the west and Tsushima Strait to the east, technically dividing the island into three islands. Strategic concerns explain the scope and funding of the canal project by Japan during an era when it was still struggling to establish an industrial economy. The canal enabled the Japanese to move transports and warships quickly between their main naval bases in the Seto Inland Sea (directly to the east) via the Kanmon and Tsushima Strait into the
Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a sea passage in East Asia between Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the Western Channe ...
or to destinations beyond in the Yellow Sea. An imperial ordinance in July 1899 established Izuhara, Sasuna, and Shishimi as open ports for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom. During the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
in 1905, the
Russian Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...
under Admiral Rozhestvensky, after making an almost year-long trip to East Asia from the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, was crushed by the Japanese under Admiral Togo Heihachiro at the
Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...
. The Japanese third squadron (cruisers) began shadowing the Russian fleet off the tip of the south island and followed it through the Tsushima Strait where the main Japanese fleet awaited. The battle began at slightly east-northeast of the northern island around midday, and ended to its north a day later when the Japanese surrounded the Russian Fleet. Japan won a decisive victory. From 1948 to 1949, due to the Jeju uprising, and its resulting suppression and massacre by anti-communist Korean forces, thousands of Jeju residents fled to Japan via Tsushima. In 1950, the South Korean government asserted sovereignty over the island based on "historical claims". Korea-US negotiations about the Treaty of San Francisco made no mention of Tsushima Island."Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Korean Affairs in the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Emmons),"
''Foreign Relations'' 1951, Vol. VI, pp. 1202-1203; excerpt, "Mr. Dulles noted that paragraph 1 of the Korean Ambassador's communication made no reference to the island of Tsushima and the Korean Ambassador agreed that this had been omitted."
After this, the status of Tsushima as an island of Japan was re-confirmed.US Bureau of the Census (1965)
''Foreign Commerce and Navigation of the United States,'' p. lv
While the South Korean government has since relinquished claims on the island, some Koreans (including some members of the Korean parliament) have periodically attempted to dispute the ownership of the island. In 1973, one of the transmitters for the
OMEGA Omega (; capital letter, capital: Ω, lower case, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy ...
-navigation system was built on Tsushima. It was dismantled in 1998. Today, Tsushima is part of
Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. Naga ...
, Japan. On 1 March 2004, the six towns on the island – Izuhara, Mitsushima, Toyotama, Mine, Kamiagata, and Kamitsushima – were merged to create the city of Tsushima. About 700
Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...
personnel are stationed on the island to watch the local coastal and ocean areas.


Historical dispute

Tsushima is administered by
Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. Naga ...
. The South Korean city of
Changwon Changwon () is the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do, on the southeast coast of South Korea. With a population of 1.07 million , Changwon is South Korea's ninth-most populous city. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, ...
also asserts ownership of the island, calling it ''Daemado'' (; ), the Korean reading of the characters used in the Japanese name ( ja, 對馬). Archaeological evidence suggests that Tsushima was already inhabited by settlers from the Japanese archipelago from the
Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between   6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...
(14,000 BCE) to the Kofun period (300 CE). Also, according to the '' Sanguo Zhi'' in the 3rd century Tsushima was Tsuikai-koku and one of the 30 that composed the Yamataikoku union countries (邪馬台国). This island, as Tsushima Province, has been ruled by Japanese governments since the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capi ...
(710 CE). According to the Korean history book Samguk Sagi written in 1145, Tsushima is ruled by the Japanese from CE 400. On 19 June 1419, Japan repelled the Ōei Invasion of king
Sejong of Joseon Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...
. He sent general
Yi Jong-mu Yi Jong-mu (1360–1425) was a Korean general who led the Oei Invasion of Tsushima Island in 1419. He was noted for leading a fleet of 227 ships and 17,285 soldiers which landed at the Tsushima Island in Aso Bay on June 19, 1419, which was met ...
to an expedition to Tsushima island to clear it of the Wokou pirates, using a fleet of 227 vessels and 17,000 soldiers. The Joseon invaders suffered casualties in an ambush and the Korean Army negotiated a ceasefire and withdrew on 3 July 1419. Afterwards, in diplomatic exchanges, the lords of Tsushima would be granted exclusive trading privileges with Joseon in exchange for maintaining control and order of pirate threats originating from the island which was the very reason for the original expedition. The Tsushima Fuchu domain became part of Izuhara Prefecture in 1871. In the same year, Izuhara Prefecture merged with Imari Prefecture, which was renamed
Saga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasak ...
on 29 May 1872. The island provinces of Tsushima and Iki were merged with the western half of the former province of Hizen and became modern-day Tsushima,
Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. Naga ...
in 1872. The South Korean government made a claim in 1948, but it was rejected by US Gen. MacArthur, the then- Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) in 1949. On 19 July 1951, the South Korean government agreed that the earlier demand for Tsushima had been dropped by the South Korean government with regard to the Japanese peace treaty negotiations. The status of Tsushima as an island of Japan was re-confirmed in 1965. In 2008, Yasunari Takarabe, incumbent Mayor of Tsushima rejected the South Korean territorial claim: "Tsushima has always been Japan. I want them to retract their wrong historical perception. It was mentioned in the [a chapter of volume 30 of Book of Wei in the Chinese Records of the Three Kingdoms] as part of Wa (Japan). It has never been and cannot be a South Korean territory."


Notable people from Tsushima

* Tsuyoshi Shinjo - Baseball player * Misia - Japanese singer *
Sō Yoshitoshi was a Sō clan ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the domain of Tsushima on Tsushima Island at the end of Japan's Sengoku period, and into the Edo period. His name is sometimes read as Yoshitomo.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'' -- Sō ...
- Sō clan


Popular culture

Tsushima Island is the setting for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
game ''
Ghost of Tsushima ''Ghost of Tsushima'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player controls Jin Sakai, samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol ...
'', released by Sucker Punch Productions in 2020. This is based on the Mongol invasion of 1274. In response to the popularity of the game, Nagasaki Prefecture used it to promote tourism to Tsushima. After a typhoon damaged a Shinto torii gate on the island in September 2020, fans of the game helped raise money to restore it. The creative leads of the game, Nate Fox and Jason Connell, were named as tourism ambassadors to the island in March 2021, as those "who has spread the name and history of Tsushima through their works". On March 25, 2021,
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
and PlayStation Productions announced the development of a film adaptation of the game.


See also

* History of Japan ** Oei Invasion ** Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) * Tsushima Island dispute * Tsushima Subprefecture *
Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a sea passage in East Asia between Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the Western Channe ...


References


Further reading

* Ian Nish, ''A Short History of Japan'', 1968, LoCCC# 68-16796, , Fredrick A. Praeger, Inc., New York, 238 pp. British title and publisher: ''The Story of Japan'', 1968, Farber and Farber, Ltd. * Edwin O. Reischauer, ''Japan: The Story of a Nation'', 1970, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. LoCCC# 77-10895. 345 pp. plus index. Previously published as ''Japan Past and Present'', four editions, 1946–1964. H.J. Moeshart, The Russian Occupation of Tsushima: a Stepping-stone to British Leadership in Japan, in: Ian Neary (Ed.) 'Leaders and Leadership in Japan' (Japan Library, 1996).


External links


Tsushima City English Webpage


{{Authority control Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture Important Bird Areas of Japan