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Shikoku (四国,Shikoku,pronounced[ɕikokɯ]ⓘ,lit.'four provinces') is the smallest of thefour main islands ofJapan. It is 225 kilometres (140 miles) long and between 50 and 150 kilometres (30 and 95 miles) at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south ofHonshu and northeast ofKyushu.[1] Shikoku's ancient names includeIyo-no-futana-shima (伊予之二名島),Iyo-shima (伊予島), andFutana-shima (二名島), and its current name refers to the four formerprovinces that make up the island:Awa,Tosa,Sanuki, andIyo.[2]
Shikoku is ranked as the50th largest island by area in the world. Additionally, it is ranked as the23rd most populated island in the world, with a population density of 193 inhabitants per square kilometre (500/sq mi).
Mountains running east and west divide Shikoku into a narrow northern subregion, fronting on theSeto Inland Sea, and a southern part facing the Pacific Ocean. TheHydrangea hirta species can be found in these mountain ranges. Most of the 3.8 million inhabitants live in the north, and all but one of the island's few larger cities are located there.Mount Ishizuchi (石鎚山) in Ehime at 1,982 m (6,503 ft) is the highest mountain on the island. Industry is moderately well developed and includes the processing of ores from the importantBesshi copper mine. Land is used intensively. Wide alluvial areas, especially in the eastern part of the zone, are planted with rice and subsequently are double-cropped with winter wheat and barley. Fruit is grown throughout the northern area in great variety, including citrus fruits, persimmons, peaches, and grapes. Because of wheat production,Sanuki udon (讃岐うどん) became an important part of the diet in Kagawa Prefecture (formerly Sanuki Province) in theEdo period.
The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. The only significant lowland is a small alluvial plain atKōchi, the prefectural capital. The area's mild winters stimulated sometruck farming, specializing in growing out-of-season vegetables under plastic covering. Two crops of rice can be cultivated annually in the southern area. Thepulp and paper industry took advantage of the abundant forests and hydroelectric power.
The major river in Shikoku is theYoshino River. It runs 196 km (121.8 mi) from its source close toMount Ishizuchi, flowing basically west to east across the northern boundaries of Kōchi and Tokushima Prefectures, reaching the sea at the city of Tokushima. The Yoshino is famous for Japan's best white-water rafting, with trips going along the Oboke Koboke sections of the river.
Shikoku has four important capes: Gamōda inAnan, Tokushima on the easternmost point on the island, Sada inIkata, Ehime on the westernmost point. Muroto inMuroto, Kōchi and Ashizuri, the southern extreme of Shikoku, inTosashimizu, Kōchi, jut into the Pacific Ocean. The island's northernmost point is inTakamatsu.
Unlike the other three major islands of Japan, Shikoku has no active volcanoes, and is the largest of Japan's islands to completely lack them.[4] But Shikoku did experience volcanic activity in the distant prehistoric past; a major volcaniccaldera in the area of Mount Ishizuchi was active during theMiocene around 14 million years ago[5] and the smallvolcanic cone ofMount Iino at an unknown date.[6]
Shikoku has a total population of 3,630,320 in 2022. The largest city isMatsuyama (population: 507,137) and is the capital ofEhime Prefecture. Shikoku is the main island with the third largest population density, at 193 inhabitants per square kilometre (500/sq mi).
Per Japanese census data,[7] and,[8] Shikoku region's peak population was at 1950 and has had negative population growth from 1950 to 1970 and 1990 onward.
Shikoku has historically been quite isolated and therefore it has kept the original characteristics of Japan for a longer period, especially in regards to vegetation and some architectural techniques. There are many Buddhist temples.
The "lost" Shikoku has been described by an American writer,Alex Kerr, who lived in a remote mountain village near Oboke (大歩危) for many years from 1970 onwards.
Shikoku is also famous for its88-temple pilgrimage of temples. The pilgrimage was established by the Heian-period Buddhist priestKūkai, a native of present-day Zentsūji-cho in Kagawa prefecture. According to legend, Kūkai still appears to pilgrims today. Most modern-day pilgrims travel by bus, rarely choosing the old-fashioned method of going by foot. They are seen wearing white jackets emblazoned with the characters readingdōgyō ninin (同行二人) meaning "two traveling together".
Tokushima Prefecture also has its annualAwa Odori running in August at the time of theObon festival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over Japan and from abroad.
Kōchi Prefecture is home to the first annualYosakoi festival. The largest festival in Kōchi, it takes place in August every year and attracts dancers and tourists from all over Japan.
One of the major foods of Shikoku isudon.[9]Udon is often served hot as a noodle soup in its simplest form, askake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth calledkakejiru, which is made ofdashi, soy sauce (shōyu), andmirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions. Other common toppings includetempura, often prawn orkakiage (a type of mixed tempurafritter), oraburaage, a type of deep-friedtofu pockets seasoned with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. A thin slice ofkamaboko, a halfmoon-shaped fish cake, is often added.Shichimi can be added to taste. Another specialty isKōchi's signature dish, searedbonito.
The warm climate of Shikoku lends itself to the cultivation of citrus fruits. As a result,yuzu,mikan and other citrus fruits are plentiful on Shikoku and have become synonymous with the regions they are grown in.
Historically no Shikoku-basedsports team has competed in the top Japanese division ofbaseball,football (soccer) or evenrugby union. However, Tokushima Vortis have had two spells in the top flight of Japanese soccer (J1) in 2014 and 2021. Currently the major teams competing in Shikoku's major cities include:
The central part of Shikoku is connected to Honshu by ferry, air, and – since 1988 – by theGreat Seto Bridge network. Until completion of the bridges, the region was isolated from the rest of Japan. The freer movement between Honshu and Shikoku was expected to promote economic development on both sides of the bridges, which has not materialized yet.
^"Shikoku and Awaji Island"(PDF). Japan National Tourism Organization. September 2011.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved2013-05-02.
^Takehara, Mami; Horie, Kenji; Tani, Kenichiro; Yoshida, Takeyoshi; Hokada, Tomokazu; Kiyokawa, Shoichi (2017). "Timescale of magma chamber processes revealed by U-Pb ages, trace element contents and morphology of zircons from the Ishizuchi caldera, Southwest Japan Arc".Island Arc.26 (2): e12182.Bibcode:2017IsArc..26E2182T.doi:10.1111/iar.12182.S2CID133362063.
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