Kutsujima, Kyoto

Kutsujima is a volcanic island in the Sea of Japan, 2.5 km from the coast of the Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Kutsujima Island is administered as part of Maizuru city. The island consist of two islets - the smaller northern is Tsurigane-jima or Meshima and larger southern is Bōshima or Kojima Kutsujima has been recognised as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports populations of black-tailed gulls, Japanese murrelets and Swinhoe's storm petrels. Currently, the islets are designated as the Kanmurijima-Kutsujima Wildlife Protection Area, and any landing is prohibited.
File:Sesshu - View of Ama-no-Hashidate.jpg|thumb|left|View of Ama-no-Hashidate by Sesshū Tōyō On extreme right, Kutsujima with Kanmurijima are also painted.

History

According to inscriptions on Tango no kuni fudoki, the Kanmurijima and Kutsujima are the remains of the much larger island which submerged following an earthquake in 701 A.D. The topography of seafloor seems to support the claim, as the steep 60-meter cliff is located underwater off eastern coast of Kanmurijima and Kutsujuma, indicating a recent crustal fault. The northern islet is inaccessible without rock-climbing equipment, and was the famous hermits prayer location during the late 19th century.

In the Oomoto religion, Kutsujima is considered sacred to the kami Ushitora no Konjin.