英語訳
According to analysis, the island mentioned in the poems composed by Otomo no Yakamochi, Governor of Etchu Province, in Manyoshu Volume 18 on May 14th of the first year of Tempyo-kanpo era (749 CE), wishing for pearls as gifts for his family in the capital - with verses about "abalone pearls that the fishermen of Suzu dive to collect at Okitsu-mikami" and "going and crossing to Okitsu Island" - is clearly what is now called Hegura Island. Since Okitsu-hime Shrine, listed in the Engishiki Shinmeicho (register of shrines), is enshrined on this island, it may have been called so after the shrine name, or conversely, the island name may have led to this designation for the shrine.
Further analysis of the Konjaku Monogatari tells of seven men from Kaga Province who went to sea for fishing and reached an island called Neko Island (Cat Island), where they first settled following the teachings of the island's deity, and their descendants prospered. This island was called Neko Island, located in the depths of Noto Province, with an island called Oni no Neya Island (Demon's Sleeping Place Island) far offshore from a place called Mitsu-ura, and even further out in the ocean was the island called Neko Island. Since this island is described as producing many abalones, it is clear that Neko Island is another name for Hegura Island. If so, Oni no Neya Island would be what is now called Nanatsu Island.
According to old accounts, Hegura Island was once inhabited, but in medieval times human habitation was severed due to rough seas and it became uninhabited. Fishermen from Kanegasaki in Chikuzen began crossing annually to stay on this island, making their livelihood by harvesting abalones and other marine products. Eventually they settled permanently in this province, residing in Wajima during winter and on the island during fishing season. This migration began during the Kanbun era (1661-1673), marking the founding of Wajima's Ama-machi (Fishermen's Town). Another theory places this in the Tensho era (1573-1593). Nanatsu Island is also said to have originally been one island that was broken up by rough seas, leaving only pillar-like rock formations.
Based on these traditions, it becomes increasingly clear that Nanatsu Island is indeed the ancient Oni no Neya Island.
Morita Yoshimi analyzed this and recorded it here.
Hegura Island (old name: Okitsu Island), Nafune Village territory, Kawarada Group, Hoshi District
Map (two bu of curved ruler equals ten ken)
Height: 7-8 ken, Length: approximately 900 ken
Width: over 350 ken, Circumference: over 1 ri
Fishermen began crossing to Hegura Island during the Kanbun era, and thereafter until the An'ei era they crossed from Nafune to conduct fishing operations.
In February of Kaei 4 (1851), this was copied from a secret map by Ogura Aritoshi. This is a recent survey map, drawn by Takagi Touzaemon Nobuyoshi (Ishiguro Nobuyoshi) under national command. Recorded by Morita Yoshimi of Ryuen-sha.
In September of Meiji 32 (1899), the Hokkoku Newspaper published an article on fisheries research of Hegura Island. Since it provides sufficient detail on the island's actual conditions and marine products, it has been excerpted and attached to the back of this map for reference.
[Map section]
North
Futatsu-de, Shirase, Kose
Difficult for boat landing
Hirase
Many shallows between Mitsu-se and Yokose, making boat passage difficult
Mitsu-se, Yokose
From Yokose to Chinfu-se approximately 41 ken; this is a bay entrance where waves reach about 1 jo
East
Chinfu-se, U-se
Here waves reach about 1 jo 5 shaku; about 8 boats of 50-koku capacity can anchor
Kojima, Benten Island
Oiwa
This place is not a bay, but ships of 600-700 koku capacity can anchor
From Benten Island to Tou Island approximately 100 ken
Tou Island, Takaiwa, Futatsu-iwa, Takase
From Takaiwa to Ko-tsuki Island approximately 200 ken
From here to Oshima of Nanatsu Island, southern direction
South
Ko-tsuki Island, O-tsuki Island
Sea crossing difficult
West
Ko-kurose, O-kurose, Tsukase
Height approximately 7 hiro
Between Ko-kuro and Kose, though the shore is deep, there are many submerged rocks and rough reefs making it difficult for crossing ships to land
Ebisu-do (height 3 hiro)
Kita-mura district: 40 houses, 3 wells
From shrine to Ebisu-do: 5 cho 11.5 ken
Ise Shrine
Jizo-do, Temple, Hozo-ji branch temple, Kimoto-mura district: 21 houses
Yakushi-do
Ko-iwa district: 11 houses, 1 well
Nishi-mura district: 31 houses, 1 well
From Nishi-miya to shrine torii: 7 cho 24 ken
Shikinaisha Okitsu-hime Shrine (called Nishi-miya)
From Konpira-do to Nishi-miya: 8 cho 1 ken
Sen-hai-tari district
Konpira-do
From this hall to Kannon-do: 3 cho 14 ken
Water reservoir
Kannon-do
From hall to hall: 5 cho 15 ken
1. From Ebisu-do to Nishi-miya, SW direction
Distance: 660 ken
1. From Kannon-do to temple, SE direction
Distance: 130 ken
1. From Hegura Island to Nanatsu Island: south, approximately 11 ri
To Wajima: same direction, 19 ri
To Misaki: southeast, 25 ri
To Echigo Imamachi: same direction, 65 ri
To Sado: ENE, 50 ri
To Oki: southwest, 160 ri
To Saruyama: SSW, 25 ri
To Kaga Miyakoshi: south, 50 ri
1. Total houses: 120 (currently only about 100, population approximately 600 men and women)
1. The entire island consists of flatland where miscanthus and various grasses grow thickly. During summer when catching small fish, people divide the ground among themselves to use as drying areas for fish.
1. From the 88th night after the beginning of spring, all fishermen cross to the island and return to the mainland at the end of autumn equinox
1. Industries: abalone, small fish, ego seaweed, kelp, wakame seaweed varieties
1. Bird species: gulls, wagtails, snipe, cuckoos, sparrows; other birds occasionally migrate through but stay only about 10 days before flying away
1. Insects: snakes, centipedes, grasshoppers, mosquitoes; no other insects are seen
1. No mammals live on the island