Kabushima

Native name:

Nickname: Seagull Island

Kabushima

Geography
Location| Hachinohe, Aomori
Coordinates| 40°32′20″N 141°33′27″E﻿ / ﻿40.53889°N 141.55750°E﻿ / 40.53889; 141.55750
Length| 300 m (1000 ft)
Width| 140 m (460 ft)
Coastline| 800 m (2600 ft)
Highest elevation| 19 m (62 ft)
Administration

Japan

Kabushima (蕪島) is a small island located in Hachinohe, Aomori, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. Part of the Tanesashi Coast, it was incorporated into the Sanriku Fukkō National Park from May 2013.

## Geography

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The island has a length of 300 meters (980 ft) and a width of 140 m (460 ft). The highest point of the island measures 18 m (59 ft) in elevation. The total area of the island is approximately 0.017 km2 (0.0066 sq mi). Although called it is an island, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway constructed in 1942 so that people may walk to it from the shore.

### Important Bird Area

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The island is noted as a nesting ground for Black-tailed gulls and has been protected as a National Natural Monument of Japan since 1922.[1] It has also been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.[2] The sound of the umi-neko at Hachinohe was selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.[3]

## Kabushima Shrine

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Kabushima Shrine

Kabushima Shrine (蕪島 神社, Kabushima Jinja) is a small Shinto shrine located on Kabushima island. The shrine is a branch of the Itsukushima Shrine and is dedicated to Benzaiten. According to shrine legend, it was established in 1269 by local fishermen. The shrine burned completely down on 5 November 2015,[4] but it was rebuilt and expanded at the cost of 5 billion yen. The shrine reopened on 26 March 2020 after a small reopening ceremony. The ceremony was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The main festival of the shrine is held on the third Sunday of April.

## References

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1. ^ [https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/401/89 蕪島ウミネコ繁殖地 - Agency for Cultural Affairs database (in Japanese)
2. ^ "Kabushima islet". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
3. ^ "残したい日本の音風景100選" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
4. ^ "ウミネコ繁殖地の蕪島、蕪嶋神社が全焼 放火の可能性も". Asahi Shimbun. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
5. ^ "蕪島神社、再建の社殿披露 15年に焼失、青森・八戸" [Reconstruction of Kabushima Shrine, after it burned down '15, Aomori, Hachinohe]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 26 March 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.

## External links

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Media related to Kabushima at Wikimedia Commons

* Hachinohe City tourist information Archived 2017-03-20 at the Wayback Machine(in Japanese)
* Official website Archived 2017-05-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
* Kabushima on Nippon-Kichi