Miyake, Tokyo

Miyake Village covers the island of Miyakejima, in the Izu archipelago in the Philippine Sea and the nearby uninhabited Ōnohara Islands, 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of central Tokyo.

It is uncertain when human settlement first began on Miyakejima, but the island was known to be inhabited since at least in the early Nara period, and is mentioned in historical records for its many volcanic eruptions. The island was used as a penal colony during the Edo period. After the start of the Meiji period, in 1878, the island came under the control of Tokyo-fu and was organized into five villages (Izu, Kamitsuki, Igaya, Ako and Tsubota) under Oshima subprefecture on October 1, 1923. Miyake subprefecture was created out of Oshima subprefecture on April 1, 1943.

On August 31, 1945, during the Allies' occupation of Tokyo, ground gunners on Miyake-jima fired three shots at an American transport aircraft, with no casualties. These were to be amongst the last shots fired in the war.[1]

The three villages of Izu, Kamitsuki and Igaya merged on October 1, 1946, to form the village of Miyake, which was joined by Abo and Tsubota on February 1, 1956. The village was evacuated in the year 2000 due to volcanic eruptions, and the inhabitants were only allowed to return from 2005.

Fishing and seasonal tourism are the mainstays of the economy of Miyake.

Miyake village operated one elementary school and one middle school. The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education operated one the one high school, Miyake High School.

• Miyake is famous for its traditional taiko performances, known as kamitsuki kiyari taiko,

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miyake, Tokyo.

• Miyake Village Official Website (in Japanese)