The Koshikishima Islands ( 甑島列島 , Koshikishima-rettō ) in the East China Sea are an island chain located 38 kilometres (21 nmi; 24 mi) west of the port city of Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima .
5-511: All minor islands are currently (as of 2017) uninhabited. The islands once consisted of 14 villages, belonging to Shikijima-gun, Satsuma Province ( Satsuma no Kuni ) during the Meiji period . In 1889, the islands were consolidated into Kami-Koshiki and Shimo-Koshiki villages. In 1897, the islands were merged with Satsuma-gun. Later, Kashima village and Sato village broke off, for a total of four villages. In 2004, during "the great Heisei merger" ,
10-615: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Satsuma Province Satsuma Province ( 薩摩国 , Satsuma-no-Kuni ) was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū . Its abbreviation was Sasshū ( 薩州 ) . Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai . During the Sengoku period , Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyō , who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city. They were
15-687: The oligarchy that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Satsuma province, with leaders such as Ōkubo Toshimichi and Saigō Takamori taking up key government positions. Satsuma is well known for its production of sweet potatoes , known in Japan as 薩摩芋 (Satsuma-Imo or "Satsuma potato"). Satsuma mandarins (known as mikan in Japan) do not specifically originate from Satsuma but were imported into
20-540: The initial patrons of Satsuma ware , which was later widely exported to the West. In 1871, with the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures after the Meiji Restoration , the provinces of Satsuma and Ōsumi were combined to eventually establish Kagoshima Prefecture. Satsuma was one of the main provinces that rose in opposition to the Tokugawa shogunate in the mid 19th century. Because of this,
25-434: The villages were merged with the city of Sendai , on the coast of Kyushu . The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of Japanese wood pigeons and Pleske's grasshopper warblers . The cruise course visiting many scenic coastal rocks and islets is available from Shimo-Koshiki island. This Kagoshima Prefecture location article
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