Izu-No-Shichi-To
IZU-NO-SHICHI-TO, the seven (shichi) islands (to) of Izu, included in the empire of Japan. They stretch in a southerly direction from a point near the mouth of Tokyo Bay, and lie between 33 and 34 48' N. and between 139 and 140 E. Their names, beginning from the north, are Izu-no-Oshima, To-shima, Nii-shima, Kozu-shima, Miyake-shima and Hachijoshima. There are some islets in their immediate vicinity. Izu-no-Oshima, an island 10 m. long and 5^ m. wide, is 15 m. from the nearest point of the Izu promontory. It is known to western cartographers as Vries Island, a name derived from that of Captain Martin Gerritsz de Vries, a Dutch navigator, who is supposed to have discovered the island in 1643. But the group was known to the Japanese from a remote period, and used as convict settlements certainly from the 12th century and probably from a still earlier era. Hachijo, the most southerly, is often erroneously written " Fatsisio " on English charts. Izu- noOshima is remarkable for its smoking volcano, Mihara-yama (2461 ft.), a conspicuous object to all ships bound for Yokohama. Three others of the islands Nii-shima, Kozu-shima and Miyake-shima have active volcanoes. Those on Nii-shima and Kozu-shima are of inconsiderable size, but that on Miyakeshima, namely, Oyama, rises to a height of 2707 ft. The most southerly island, Hachijo-shima, has a still higher peak, Dsubotake (2838 ft.), but it does not emit any smoke.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
