青海島の概要(The outline of Omijima island)
山口県の北西部、北長門海岸国定公園の中心に位置する青海島は
周囲約４０キロメートル、面積１８,８平方キロメートル。
大正15年には名勝及び天然記念物に指定されました。
その北海岸には荒波に侵食された断崖絶壁や、洞門、石柱があり、
コウモリの形をしたコウモリ洞、洞内の岩が黄金色に見える黄金洞。
混ざり合った岩が削られて、蛇やタコ、亀などの模様になっている
大壁画の幕岩。お坊様が正座されて胸の前で手を合わせておられる
姿に見える仏岩など、船からのみご覧いただける素晴らしい大自然の
芸術作品があります。
どうしてこの様な岩の形になったのか、本当に不思議。そして、その数も
1つや2つでは無く、まさに大自然の岩の作品展。そして、アトリエ。
日本のみならず、世界にもこの様な数多くの奇岩が集まった所は
無いのでは。
これらの岩は、今から約１億年前の中生代白亜紀後期に、溶岩が
冷えて固まった火成岩が大体の岩で、約1,500万年前に日本海が
出来上がり、波、風、潮流によって削り上げられたものです。隆起、陥没
も何度かあります。関門層群、阿武層群の2つの地層群で出来ています。
(山口地学会『山口県の岩石図鑑』第一学習社出版を参考)
昭和４０年１０月に青海大橋が出来るまで、仙崎との瀬戸を渡し舟が
行き来して、島の人々を支えて来ました。また、通（かよい）、大日比（おおひび）
の離れた各集落には市営の生活航路船が就航していました。
OMIJIMA which is
located in the Sea of Japan near to Korea,
is almost 40km in
circumference and the area is
about 18.8 square
km.
At the northern
part of Omijima, there are many overhanging cliffs,
caves, stone
pillars and rocks having various appearance,
which were made
of igneous rocks due to the eruptions of ashes
and lave during
the latter half of the Cretaceous period.
Then, about 15
million years ago, it formed the Sea of Japan,
after that,
upheavals and subsidence on the earth were
given repeatedly,
gradually by the erosion of high
winds and waved
from the sea,
the rocks were
changed their appearances like now.
As there are
various shapes of rocks here,
which are very
rare not only in Japan but also in the world,
Omijima is
enacted as “North Nagato Coast
Quasi-National Park”.
About 40 years
ago, ferry boats were the only method of
the
transportation connecting between Senzaki and Omijima
but now , they
have constructed the bridge,
so that we could
drive a car for coming and going to Omijima.
Of course, by
taking a sightseeing boat ,
you can go around
Omijima to enjoy various rocks and stones
from sea side,
but using a car or on foot,
you can also
enjoy the same from island side.
If you walk along
the “Omijima Memorial Road”
which is paved
easy to walk, you will arrived including
“SEMURA” which
means many beautiful rocks
stand close
together in the sea.
The very famous
artist, Mr. Kaii Higashiyama drew a mural painting
of “Semura” and
presented it to the Imperial Palace.
Omijima is called
“the sea Alps” and there come many tourists to see
beautiful scenery
of Omijima with boat or on foot,
some of them
enjoy camping, and fishing.
There is an
auto-camping accommodation too.
-This outline of English was written by Mr. Tsujii. -
運行時刻及び運賃表(Service
time and fare table.)
青海島の概要(The
outline of Omijima island.)
