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While\nYokosuka is widely known for its rich naval history and culture, I believe that\nmy time living here has made me truly realize how the traces of the past still\nlinger to this day. From the old gatehouses continuing their vigil along the\nroad to the weathered stone-carved mountain passes, there are many remnants of\nJapanese modernization that can be seen all around the city. Among these,\nSarushima stands out as a prime example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nestled\nin Tokyo Bay floats the lone island of Sarushima. While it seems to be an island\nlush with vegetation from afar, Sarushima is much more than meets the eye. Hidden\nbeneath the canopy of leaves, lies a rich human history recording back to the early\nJomon period. Although the island is currently uninhabited, there have been many\ntraces of human activity found on Sarushima ranging from Jomon period earthenware\nand stoneware, Yayoi period shell mounds, Kofun period burial sites, to the\nmore prominent historic gun battery sites and naval facilities established\nduring the period of Japanese modernization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visitors are often curious as to why the name of the island, Sarushima, translates to \u201cMonkey Island.\u201d To the disappointment of many, including myself, monkeys do not inhabit this island. The naming dates back to the year 1253, with the legend of Nichiren Shonin, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, as he sailed from the land of Boso to Kamakura. According to a popular version of this legend, during Nichren\u2019s journey across the waters, he suddenly encountered a storm that threatened to sink his ship. As he chanted the Lotus Sutra, a white monkey appeared before his ship and guided him to the island where he could seek refuge. Today, visitors can peer into the seaside cave where Nichiren was believed to have practiced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have read about the historical background surrounding Sarushima before I made my own visit to the island due to translation assignments related to its recognition as a government-designated important cultural property and association with the Japan Heritage story, \u201cThe Four Dynamic Coastal Cities of Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, and Maizuru — Centers of Japanese Modernization –.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The defense of Tokyo Bay was a priority for the Japanese government following the arrival of foreign ships. Although the coastal defenses established in 1847 during the end of the Edo period were destroyed by the Ansei Great Earthquakes (1854-1855), it is still possible to see the remains of the gun batteries and their respective facilities completed in 1884 during the Meiji period and the anti-air gun platforms installed in 1941 during the Showa period. Here, visitors can see structures and facilities built by the Japanese government that employed several techniques throughout different periods of Japan\u2019s history. Sarushima\u2019s barracks and tunnels are some of the few remaining large-scale brick structures in Japan using Flemish Bond instead of the more prevalent English Bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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