Ōmishima Island

This article is about the island in the Seto Inland Sea. For the island in the Sea of Japan, see Ōmijima. For the municipality in Ehime Prefecture, see Ōmishima, Ehime.

Ōmishima Island (大三島, Ōmishima) is the largest island in the Geiyo Islands chain, and the westernmost which accommodates the Nishiseto Expressway between Honshu and Shikoku. It is located in the Seto Inland Sea. The island's highest peak is Washigatozan (鷲ヶ頭山) at an altitude of 437 m (1,434 ft).

Ōmishima Island

Native name: 大三島 Ōmishima
Miyaura port
Ōmishima Island Location in Japan
Geography
Location	Seto Inland Sea
Coordinates	34.244139°N 133.009627°E / 34.244139; 133.009627
Area	64.54 km2 (24.92 sq mi)
Length	12.8 km (7.95 mi)
Width	6.2 km (3.85 mi)
Coastline	88.8 km (55.18 mi)
Highest elevation	437 m (1434 ft)
Highest point	Washigatozan
Administration
Japan
Prefecture	Ehime
City	Imabari
Demographics
Population	23398 (1947)
Pop. density	363/km2 (940/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Japanese

Geography

Ōmishima is kidney-shaped and together with Ōsakikamijima on the west encloses the calm bay of Utena, where the primary seaport of Miyaura [ja] is located. The island's Utena Dam reservoir is the primary freshwater source for Ōmishima itself and the nearby Hakata.

Climate

Climate data for Ōmishima (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	16.0 (60.8)	20.2 (68.4)	25.4 (77.7)	27.9 (82.2)	30.4 (86.7)	33.7 (92.7)	38.0 (100.4)	37.4 (99.3)	36.1 (97.0)	31.9 (89.4)	24.1 (75.4)	20.4 (68.7)	38.0 (100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.6 (49.3)	10.2 (50.4)	13.4 (56.1)	18.6 (65.5)	23.2 (73.8)	26.1 (79.0)	30.0 (86.0)	32.0 (89.6)	28.3 (82.9)	22.8 (73.0)	17.2 (63.0)	12.0 (53.6)	20.3 (68.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.5 (41.9)	5.6 (42.1)	8.4 (47.1)	13.1 (55.6)	17.6 (63.7)	21.3 (70.3)	25.3 (77.5)	26.8 (80.2)	23.4 (74.1)	18.0 (64.4)	12.5 (54.5)	7.7 (45.9)	15.4 (59.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	1.1 (34.0)	3.4 (38.1)	8.0 (46.4)	12.7 (54.9)	17.6 (63.7)	22.0 (71.6)	23.2 (73.8)	19.7 (67.5)	13.8 (56.8)	8.2 (46.8)	3.4 (38.1)	11.2 (52.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−5.9 (21.4)	−6.2 (20.8)	−4.4 (24.1)	−1.5 (29.3)	3.6 (38.5)	9.6 (49.3)	15.5 (59.9)	15.6 (60.1)	11.1 (52.0)	5.5 (41.9)	−1.3 (29.7)	−3.5 (25.7)	−6.2 (20.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	40.8 (1.61)	54.0 (2.13)	89.5 (3.52)	98.0 (3.86)	116.2 (4.57)	186.3 (7.33)	194.6 (7.66)	93.5 (3.68)	133.4 (5.25)	96.3 (3.79)	66.0 (2.60)	50.1 (1.97)	1,218.6 (47.98)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	5.3	6.7	9.0	8.9	8.7	11.1	9.4	6.7	8.8	7.3	6.4	6.0	94.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours	146.1	151.2	182.0	200.2	214.7	157.1	201.2	233.9	171.2	180.4	159.2	144.3	2,141.6
Source: JMA[1][2]

History

• 1541 - Tsuruhime fights Ōuchi Yoshitaka fleet
• 1874 - post office established
• 1979 - Ōmishima bridge [ja] connecting to Ehime Prefecture complete^[3]
• 1999 - Tatara Bridge connecting to Hiroshima Prefecture complete^[4]
• 16 January 2005 - the towns (including Ōmishima, Ehime) and villages of the island were merged into city of Imabari, Ehime

Transportation

Ōmishima is connected to the mainland of Honshu and Shikoku islands by bridges of Nishiseto Expressway (Shimanami Kaidō). Also, ferry is available to Ōsakikamijima, Okamura Island and Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island). Ōmishima Island is served by the national Route 317.

Attractions

• The salt factory^[5]
• Historical and marine museum^[6]
• Ōyamazumi Shrine
• Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture, Imabari
• The entire Ōmishima Island is designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty

Notable residents

• Shozo Fujita - historian
• Tsuruhime - priestess and warlord

External links

• Imabari city official site

References

• This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia pages 大三島 and 大三島町, accessed 13 September 2017

1. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
2. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
3. Ohmishima Bridge at Honshū Shikoku Bridge Authority
4. Tatara bridge at Honshū Shikoku Bridge Authority
5. Hakata no Shio Factory
6. Museum of Oomishima