is an island in Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa

is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture , northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Because of its proximity to the ancient capital, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles.-...

 in Japan. The national government has designated it a special historic site.

The island's geographic coordinates are 35°25′24″ N, 136°8′37″ E. Its area is 0.14 km² and its coastline measures 2 km. The highest point has an elevation of 197 m. It is under the administration of the city of Nagahama

Nagahama, Shiga

is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The city center was developed and renamed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi when Hideyoshi moved his center of administration from Odani Castle...

, Shiga Prefecture

Shiga Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...

.

Several works of the Japanese performing arts relate to Chikubu. They include the Noh

Noh

, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...

 play Chikubushima

Chikubushima

Chikubushima is an anonymous Noh play of the first category, celebrating the sacred volcanic island of that name in Lake Biwa.During the reign of Emperor Daigo a courtier went to the island in the center of Lake Biwa, Chikubu Island...

and the Heike Biwa work Chikubushima Mōde, two koto

Koto (musical instrument)

The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...

 melodies named Chikubushima, a jōruri

Jōruri (music)

is a form of traditional Japanese narrative music in which a sings to the accompaniment of a shamisen. As a form of storytelling, the emphasis is on the lyrics and narration rather than the music itself....

(itchūbushi), a nagauta, and a tokiwazu-bushi of the same name.

On the island are various places of interest. In the southern part are the Tsukubusuma Shrine, said to have been established in 420, and Hōgon-ji, a Shingon

Shingon Buddhism

is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...

 temple said to date from 724. Formerly known as Chikubu Benzai-ten, it ranks with the Enoshima Shrine in the Kantō region

Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

 and the Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima in the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan...

 in the Chūgoku Region

Chugoku region

The , also known as the , is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. It has a population of about 7.8 million.- History :...

 as one of Japan's Three Great Benzaiten

Benzaiten

Benzaiten is the Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light, which has a section devoted to her...

 Shrines.

During the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, retainers of Azai Nagamasa

Azai Nagamasa

was a Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japan. His clan, the Azai, were located in northern Ōmi Province, east of Lake Biwa. He was both the brother-in-law of Oda Nobunaga, starting in 1564, and one of Nobunaga's enemies from 1570-1573. Nagamasa and his clan were utterly destroyed by Oda...

 confined his father Hisamasa

Azai Hisamasa

was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of the Azai clan.Hisamasa became the head of the clan in 1542 after his father died, but unlike his father, he was never a strong leader. Losing domains against Rokkaku clan, he instead became a Rokkaku retainer...

 to Chikubu Island, forcing him into retirement and establishing Nagamasa as his successor.

Source

This article incorporates material translated from 竹生島 (Chikubu-shima) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on November 21, 2008.

External links

• 琵琶湖開発総合管理所｜びわ湖の観光名所｜竹生島 Japan Water Agency, retrieved on November 21, 2008
• B-BOX「竹生島の様子」 Lake Biwa and Rivers Information Box, retrieved on November 21, 2008
• 神の住む島 竹生島 Nagahama Sight-seeing Association, retrieved on August 23, 2010