Exploring the attractions and possibilities of the Koshiki Islands
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Date: 11st March 2023 13:30 - 17:30
Place: Room 212, The Interdivisional Education and Research Building, 2ed Floor, Kagoshima University and On line (Zoom)
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●Aim
The Koshiki-Ohashi Bridge opened in August 2020, connecting three islands of the Koshiki Islands. This has brought the Koshiki Islands into the spotlight once again. The Koshiki Islands are rich in culture and nature, with varied coastlines and geological strata that are 80 million years old, in addition to having world-renowned cultures such as the tasteful ruins of samurai residences and Toshidon, which was registered as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2009. The islands are also rich in fisheries resources due to their abundant fishing grounds. But the region's attractions are not fully realized due to depopulation and limited marine transportation. Since 2018, the International Center for Island Studies, Kagoshima University has conducted an academic survey together with researchers from various fields at Kagoshima University as a comprehensive survey of the Koshiki Islands. The results will be published as "The Koshiki Islands" next year. In this symposium, we will introduce some of the results, activities of local researchers and activities connecting those researchers and the local community to explore new attractions of the Koshiki Islands and their potential for the future.
●Program
13:30 Opening Address
13:40 「Geology and Fossils of the Koshikishima islands」
●MIYAKE Yuka (Koshiki Museum, Satsumasendai City)
The steep cliffs and uniquely shaped rocks are the features of the Koshikishima Islands. The coast of the Koshikishima Islands is composed of sedimentary rocks of the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene period and Miocene diorites.
The Upper Cretaceous Himenoura Group is distributed in the western part of Kamikoshikishima Island, and Nakakoshikishima and Shimokoshikishima Island. In 2009, vertebrate fossils were first reported from the Himenoura Group in Shimokoshikishima Island, and in 2017, they were also found in the higher strata in Kamikoshikishima Island. It has been suggested that these may be the most recent vertebrate fossil assemblage containing dinosaurs in Japan. Researchers are hoping that future results help elucidate the diversity and ecology of dinosaurs in Asia before the extinction of dinosaurs. Furthermore, the Paleogene Kamikoshikijima Group is distributed in most of the Kamikoshikishima Island and the northern end of the Nakakoshikishima Island. Recently, the oldest Paleogene mammal fossil assemblage in Japan has been reported from the Nakakoshiki Formation of the Kamikoshikijima Group, and research is now underway to study the evolution and transition history of intercontinental mammals during the Early Eocene.
The nature, climate, culture, and industry of Koshikishima Islands are largely influenced by the land in which they are rooted, i.e., the strata and topography that make up there. Since many things in Koshikishima Islands are nurtured by geological and geographical resources, they are also valuable as resources for regional development.
14:20 「Local citrus genetic resources grown on Koshikijima」
●YAMAMOTO Masashi (Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University)
Although citrus cultivation as an economic activity is not conducted on Koshikijima, since ancient times, various citrus accessions have been cultivated in backyards and so on. These are not only valuable as genetic resources, but also highly valuable as cultural resources that support the culture of the island. Therefore, in order to obtain basic information for the cultivation and preservation of these, local citrus on Kami-Koshikijima and Shimo-Koshikijima was surveyed. Kinos and Kinebu cultivated throughout Koshikishima were sour orange and Kunenbo, respectively. Kouzu Mikan was considered to be Kuroshimamikan, which was also widely cultivated in islands located in Kagoshima. Shiromikan and Hokkui were considered to be the same as citrus distributed in the Ryukyu Islands. On the other hand, it was not possible to identify Ishimikan, Tomikan, Gaga, Nitai, Godayuu, Yamatate, and Garagaramikan. It is necessary to elucidate these origins in the future.
15:00 Break
15:20 「Current Status and Future Prospects of the Fishery of the Koshiki Islands」
●TORII Shinji (Faculty of Fisharies, Kagoshima University)
While many islands are blessed with respect to their fishing environment and marine resources, they are also burdened by various unfavorable business conditions that exist. For instance, the high unit price of fuel and materials pushes up business costs on the production side. In terms of sales, the market of each island itself is small and, consequently, outside markets must be relied upon; however transport from the island is expensive and there are also cases where the ferry service timetable dictates the schedule of fishing operations. In addition, there are also cases where sales prices are marked down due to the possibility of reduced freshness as a consequence of the time-consuming nature of transport to the mainland market. In other words, island fisheries face many disadvantages from production to sales. Therefore, it is not easy to run a fishery on the island. In this presentation, I will introduce their efforts to promote fisheries management on Koshiki Island.
16:00 「The Story of Food Culture in the Koshiki Islands — Traveling, Living, and Food Sanpo」
●OWAKI Hiromi (Koshiki Travel Sommelier Council)
We, Koshiki Travel Sommeliers, monitor the resources and plan and implement experience programs through the protection, inheritance, explanation, and transmission of the nature of Koshiki Islands and the culture of the people who live the islands. One of the programs, "Food Culture Story," is a challenge to create an opportunity to nurture the seeds of inheritance of Koshiki's food culture by combining island life, tourism, and food culture.
The food culture of the islands is created with ingenuity using the limited ingredients available on the islands, and each village has its historical background and differences in lifestyle. Learning about the food culture is also learning about the history of the area and the wisdom of its ancestors. We believe that food culture, which is rooted in the daily life of the islands, becomes the source of livelihood, weaves memories, gives them the strength to live, and makes them proud of their islands.
This time, we focused on "Susu", which is found here and there on the island, and through our research, we encountered various kinds of food.We would like to share a "food culture story" that brings you a feel of the unique lifestyle of the Koshiki Islands.
16:40 Discussion
17:30 Closing Remarks
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トップページヘ 
cpi.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
