SUWANOSE-JIMA

Suwanose-jima Island is a volcanic island south of Kagoshima, Southern Japan (Fig. 1). She erupted once upon a time and all the people in the island had to leave off. Then about 100 years ago, several brave pioneers struggled their way on board toward this island to find the light in very hard days of that time. They came from the main island of Amami-Oshima. The leader's name is Tomiden Fujii. Why they had to leave? Why they selected this dangerous, out-of-the-way, sterile tiney island?

Geological map of Suwanose-jima.

"O-take" is a name of this volcano which means the mountain of God or Goddess. Now Suwanose-jima volcano is also active, though not so much for residants as to leave the island. She is one of the most active volcano in Japan. About once a month, or more often, she erupts and fine grey ash falls on the village. There are some hot springs at the east part of the island, which we cannot approach easily. We can look into the active crater, O-take crater, from caldera wall top. The view is wonderful when it is fine and air is clear. This is the best spot I recommend when you visit for the first time. But be sure to bring a bottle of water and some food to go up O-take, and not to go when weather's bad.

Fig. 2 View from the top of Mt. O-take toward the north. Crater (lower part) is active now. There are some fumaroles emitting volcanic gas. Backgroud view is Sakuchi caldera's wall formed at the last stage in the 1813 eruption.

"Minshuku YAMAKI" is one of a few guesthouses in the island. I usually stay here and enjoy a very comfortable stay instead of my very hard field work for study. Tamotsu-san is the master of the guest house. He and his mother, Yoshiko, are good cookers. I enjoy every meal they cook.

Fig. 3 The last day in Suwanose-jima in the summer of 1996. The photo with Yoshiko, Tamotu-san's mother (left front), taken at Kiriishi Port. I'm at the left front.

"Maruba satsuki" (a species of azalea) flower is such a very patient but strong flower that survives on the hot, dry, ashy, salty, windy lava terrain which almost all other flowers and trees die out. But they blossome beautiful flowers in the end of April to the end of June. The best would be the end of May. All the devasted area is covered with a pink balncket of them.

"Tokara yagi" is a native species of goat. They have black and/or brown spots on their white bodies like those of Holstein cows. You can see many groups (families?) of them on the cliffs of Tokara islands.