Nushima Island in Hyogo Prefecture is the birthplace of Japan! In the age of the gods, Izanagi and Izanami made the most of the Japanese Archipelago on this island!

Hyogo prefecture

Nushima Island in Hyogo Prefecture is the birthplace of Japan! In the age of the gods, Izanagi and Izanami made the most of the Japanese Archipelago on this island!

2021/01/21

Nushima Island is a small island with about 10km of the circumference. It is located 4.6km south of the southern tip of Awaji Island (Minami Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture). There is a regular liner from the Habu fishing harbor in Awaji Island and you can go to Nushima Island in 10 minutes. When seeing this island from the sky, you can see the shape of the island is like a Magatama (comma-shaped beads, one of the three Sacred Treasures symbolizing the Japanese Emperor) and the “nu” of Nushima Island means treasure in Japanese. Also, the “Kuniumi story” in Japanese mythology, Nushima Island is said to be “Onogoro Island”.

「大八洲（おおやしま）」は神話時代の日本の呼称です。『国生み』によれば、伊邪那岐命と伊邪那美命はオノゴロ島に降り立って夫婦の契りを結び、淡路島、四国、隠岐島、九州、壱岐島、対馬島、佐渡島、本州の順番で島々を生みました。

According to Japanese mythology, “Oyashima (the name of Japan in the age of the mythology)” was born as follows.

The two deities of “Izanagi no Mikoto” and “Izanami no Mikoto” stir up the chaotic world with “Amenonuboko” from heaven. When pulling it up, the drops from the spearhead solidified and Onogoro Island was created. Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto descended on the Onogoro Island, married there and gave birth to the islands in the order of Awaji Island, Shikoku, Oki Island, Kyushu, Iki Island, Tsushima Island, Sado Island and Honshu.

伊邪那岐命と伊邪那美命の二神は、天上から「天沼矛」で混沌とした世界をかき回し引き上げると、矛の先から落ちた滴が凝り固まってオノゴロ島ができました。

In Nushima Island, there are some folklores related to the mythology of the “Kuniumi story” remains such as “Kamitate Gamiiwa Rock” and “Onokoro Shrine” which enshrines Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto.

高さ30mの「上立神岩」は、伊邪那岐命と伊邪那美命がオノコロ島に降り立って、巨岩の周囲をまわって結婚したという「天の御柱」といわれています。

The 30m tall giant rock “Kamitate Gamiiwa Rock” is said as “Ameno Mihashira”, where Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto descended to Onokoro Island. They marched around this huge pillar and got married there.

「上立神岩」は、沼島漁港から徒歩20分で着きますが、漁師さんの漁船に乗って海上から眺めるのもおすすめです。

It takes about 20 minutes from the Nushima fishing harbor, but I also recommend you to take a fisherman’s boat and see “Kamitate Gamiiwa Rock” from the sea.

1994年、沼島では1億年前の「地球のしわ」といわれる世界的にも貴重な「鞘型褶曲（さやがたしゅうきょく）」の地層が発見されました。沼島漁港にある沼島汽船の待合室には、地層の特徴がわかる岩石が展示されています。

There is the largest earth fault “Median Tectonic Line” stretches between Awaji Island and Nushima Island. Its length is only 4.6km, but Nushima Island and Awaji Island are composed of a completely different geologic stratum.

In 1994, “Sheath type fold” was found in Nushima Island. It is called “wrinkle of the Earth” in other words, which is 100 million years old and also it was academically valuable founding. There are only two places in the world where you can see this stratum, Nushima Island and France. In the waiting room of Nushima Liner in the Nushima fishing harbor, the rocks showing the characteristics of the stratum are exhibited.