Have you heard of Matsushima, an island off the southern tip of Kurashiki City? With a circumference of about 1.2 kilometers, it is the smallest inhabited island in Okayama Prefecture.
Only two people live on the island, but people come and go for activities such as harvesting wakame seaweed and visiting graves.
On Matsushima, efforts are underway to create a place for sharing arts and culture that make use of the scenery and resources found only here.
We visited Matsushima and spoke with people there to learn about the initiatives underway.
The information in this article was accurate when it was published in December 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Matsushima
Matsushima is about a five-minute ferry ride from Shimotsui, Kurashiki City. There is no regular ferry service.
A superb location with a panoramic view of the Seto-Ohashi Bridge.
With its abundant seafood, the island is also a fishing spot known to those in the know.
Fish caught here include red sea bream, yellowtail, filefish, squid, octopus, rockfish, conger eel, mackerel, and horse mackerel.
Former Shimotsui Nishi Elementary School and Shimotsui Junior High School Matsushima Branch
The first building you see when you arrive on Matsushima is the former Shimotsui Nishi Elementary School and Shimotsui Junior High School Matsushima Branch. The branch school was established in 1902.
Around 100 people once lived on Matsushima, and there was a time when dozens of students attended this school.
The former Shimotsui Nishi Elementary School and Shimotsui Junior High School Matsushima Branch closed temporarily in 1989 and permanently in March 2000.
It is now the Matsushima Branch School Art Museum, where efforts are underway to create a place for sharing art that makes use of Matsushima's distinctive scenery and resources.
For about ten years, working toward the goal of “creating new values in arts and culture from Shimotsui and Matsushima,” the representative director of the Matsushima Branch School Art Museum, Katayama Yasuyuki, has been leading these efforts.
Originally from Kojima, Kurashiki City, and still living there, Katayama is also an artist and sculptor.
He creates works using a technique that combines a variety of materials, including wood and metal, with clay as his primary medium.
Working together with the Washuzan and Shimotsui Community Development Promotion Council, he has appealed to the local government and carefully built relationships with people connected to Matsushima.
The Matsushima Branch School Art Museum Association has been entrusted by Kurashiki City with the site's use and operates the Matsushima Branch School Art Museum.
We visited Matsushima!
Board a ferry near Tado-tsuura Park in Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, and you are surrounded by sea in every direction. The Seto-Ohashi Bridge looms right beside you!
The ride was short, at about five minutes, but it was a wonderful boat trip.
As soon as we arrived, the Matsushima Branch School Art Museum came into view.
On the day of our visit, the children were coming to the island for their monthly outing. Their cheerful voices filled the air.
The building had gone unused for about 30 years after the school closed in 1989, and apparently its ceilings had collapsed and it was in a terrible state.
In 2018, it was renovated over the course of a year.
The open space on the first floor was originally three classrooms.
The walls were removed to create a large room. The windows remain as they were.
Among the many books, a closer look reveals science equipment once used at the school, as well as a large timer.
A bathroom has been built in what used to be the restroom.
The first floor also has a renovated kitchen area.
Overnight stays are now possible, and the building is used for artist residencies, where artists stay and create their work.
The second floor has a room about as large as the open space on the first floor, equipped for screening video works on a screen.
This was originally the auditorium.
On the east side of the second floor, across the stairs, is what used to be the staff room. It is usually a staff room, but can also serve as a darkroom for artists creating their work.
The schoolyard has been beautifully maintained, like a park.
The sea is right nearby, making it a superb location. They are apparently preparing the site so that people can camp here.
Walking around the island, you see houses lining the slopes overlooking the sea, with traces of the island's former life still visible here and there.
Matsushima was once an island with many fishermen.
On the day we visited, some people enjoyed fishing, then had a boat come pick them up to take them home.
Just a five-minute trip from the mainland, Matsushima must be a popular hidden gem among anglers.
We spoke about Matsushima and the Matsushima Branch School Art Museum's initiatives with Katayama Yasuyuki, representative director of the Matsushima Branch School Art Museum Association, and Wakimura Takuji, who works with the association as a Community Revitalization Cooperator.
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