Mandarin island village with beautiful continuous wooden walls / Walk around the island village, Seto Inland Sea, Nuwajima, Nakajima (Ehime Prefecture)
Uwajima
Uwajima is located in the western part of the Kutsuna Islands off the coast of Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. In addition to fields spread out on the flat land on the north coast, the island is cultivated with citrus fruits, with citrus trees planted all over the island except for the steep slopes. There are two villages on the island.The original village was located in Miyanoura on the north coast of the island, but it is said that at some point it was divided into the current two villages, Kaminowa and Motonowa. The main industry is citrus cultivation, but a small amount of onions and watermelons are also grown. In recent years, due to the slump in mandarin orange prices, flounder farming has begun and is expected to become a new pillar of the island's economy. Many of Japan's small remote islands have two villages, and in these cases, the two are often rivals. The two villages on Uwajima are roughly the same size, but the former has a post office, elementary school and junior high school, so it plays a central role.
The village space of Moto-Nuwa is very interesting. First, although the houses are crowded together, they are set up so that they surround the estate with a nagaya gate and a garden. This form with a nagayamon gate can also be seen in rural areas on the outskirts of Matsuyama City, so it is probably a common style among farmers who have achieved economic wealth. One of the characteristics of Moto-Uwa is that it was created in a half-forced, densely populated island village. There is a road parallel to the coastline, and a narrow street running perpendicular to it. The streets are narrow, and even if they are wide they can barely accommodate a single car.
On the other hand, it seems that the area of citrus orchards owned by each person in Kaminowa is larger than that of Motonowa. The village of Kami-Nuwa resembles the characteristics of the townscape of Moto-Nuwa. A road that extends into the village, perpendicular to the road along the coastline. Facing these two streets, it is built to look like a mansion, although it is narrow.
Nakajima
Nakajima is the largest island in the Kutsuna Islands, located to the west of Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and is also the center of the Kutsuna Islands. A large area of the island is covered in citrus orchards, and in early summer the entire island is filled with the scent of tangerine flowers. It has been mentioned in literature since the Nara period, and during the Heian period it became the home base of the Kutsuna clan, a powerful clan. During the period of the Northern and Southern Courts, the Kutsuna clan reached its peak and expanded its influence in West Seto, but it disappeared from history with the unification of Japan by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After that, it became an island of commercial crops, with the main crops shifting to ginger, pyrethrum, and onions. In recent years, it has become a citrus island as Japan's number one producer of Iyocitrus.
The central village is Oura. The coastline of the bay is shaped like an arc, and the street inside the concentric circles is thought to be the former coastline and the main axis of the town. There are relatively old private houses lined up there, so it can be noted as a townscape. What is interesting is that arcades are built only in front of shops. I've seen this phenomenon before on other islands, but I guess it's a fixed rule. It was also seen on other islands in the Kutsuna Islands.
Another village is Kamiura. Regular ships also operate from this port. Although this village is along the coast, it is not a fishing village, but a perfect Iyocitrus farming village, and the spectacular citrus orchard is a highlight.
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