Mitsukejima
Japan · Asia
About
Mitsukejima is an uninhabited island in Takadate-cho, Suzu, Ishikawa, Japan. Due to its shape, it is also known as Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), which is also the common name given to Hashima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture.
According to folklore, the island was given the name "Mitsukejima" by the Buddhist monk, scholar, and artist Kūkai, who was the first to discover the island while travelling from Sado Island.
Mitsukejima is approximately 150 metres long, 50 metres wide, and 30 metres above sea level. It is composed of Neogene-period diatomaceous earth, the raw materials commonly used for shichirin, a portable clay cooking stove which is a specialty product of Suzu. The top of the island is covered with Japanese black pine and Japanese knotweed. Mitsukejima is known as a scenic spot of the Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park, and attracts many tourists.
Following the 2024 Noto earthquake, Ishikawa prefecture plans to 3D scan the island and to plan the use the make a "virtual Mitsukejima" to appeal to tourists.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.