Yagishiri Island

Yagishiri

Native name: 焼尻島, Yagishiri-tō
Yagishiri Island, Haboro, Hokkaido, Japan
Geography
Location	East Asia
Coordinates	44°26′N 141°24′E / 44.433°N 141.400°E / 44.433; 141.400Coordinates: 44°26′N 141°24′E / 44.433°N 141.400°E / 44.433; 141.400
Archipelago	Japanese archipelago
Area	5.34 km2 (2.06 sq mi)
Length	4 km (2.5 mi)
Width	2 km (1.2 mi)
Highest elevation	97 m (318 ft)
Highest point	Central Yagishiri Island
Administration
Japan
Prefectures	Hokkaidō
Subprefectures	Rumoi Subprefecture
District	Tomamae District
Demographics
Population	273 (2010)
Pop. density	51 /km2 (132 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Ainu Japanese

Yagishiri Island (焼尻島, Yagishiri-tō) is a small, sparsely populated island in the Sea of Japan, located 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of Haboro Bay in Haboro, Hokkaido. The island, along with neighboring Teuri Island, belongs to the town of Haboro in Tomamae District, Rumoi Subprefecture. The island is noted for its dense forests, and fully two-thirds of Yagishiri Island remains forested.

Yagishiri Island, like nearby Teuri, became a base for the fishing of Pacific herring beginning in 1786. In the modern period Yagishiri Island has seen a long-term population decline: in 1947 there were 2,283 residents, by 1972 the number had fallen to 1,073, and in 2010 the population had fallen to 273.

Yagishiri is located 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) east of Teuri Island, and the two islands are separated by the Musashi Channel. The island is approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long from east to west, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from north to south, and covers 5.34 square kilometres (2.06 sq mi). It has a coastline of roughly 12 kilometres (7.5 mi).

Yagishiri is flatter than nearby Teuri, and reaches an elevation at its center of only 97 metres (318 ft). Yagishiri Island is primarily composed of Tertiary-period andesite formed into a four marine terraces, some with significant marine cliffs.

The island has a single lighthouse, Yagishiritō Lighthouse, located 40 metres (130 ft) above sea level just south of the small Port of Yagishiri. The lighthouse is a 13 metres (43 ft) concrete structure, painted white, and was constructed in February 1913. The Yagishiritō Lighthouse has an intensity of 7,000 candela.