チラシ チラシ
Feature Exhibition

Tanegashima
A History Born from the Wind and Waves

Exhibition period:

13 December 2022 – 12 February 2023

Venue:

Cultural Exchange Exhibition Hall, Room 3

Introduction:

Located off the shores of southern Kyushu is Tanegashima, an island known by to the Japanese as the place where guns first came ashore, and where rockets are launched. By virtue of its proximity, Tanegashima was more closely related in culture and historical development to Kyushu than the Amami and Ryukyu islands immediately to its south; nonetheless, the island’s people engaged in active exchange with those southern islands. In this exhibition, we explore the unique history of this island through artifacts excavated there, as well as cultural heritage objects that have been passed down through the ages.


Exhibition Highlights

Preface: Closest to the Universe

Home to the launching site of the world’s most sophisticated rocket, Tanegashima is often referred to as the island closest to the universe. Before this landmass eventually became the island we know today, it was once connected to mainland Kyushu. In this section, we will introduce Tanegashima’s position within Japan as a whole, and how it came to be.

西之表象化石

Nishinoomote City Designated Cultural Property
Elephant fossil from Nishinoomote

1,370,000 years old
Nishinoomote City Board of Education, Kagoshima

Part One: Between Yamato and Ryukyu

Buried beneath a layer of volcanic ash that fell upon Tanegashima about 35,000 years ago are the remnants of human civilization. This island, with the Yamato kingdom to its north and the Ryukyu islands to its south, was well-positioned as a site for cultural exchange between these regions, and the subsequent development of their own unique culture.

広田遺跡出土品

Important Cultural Property
Artifacts from Hirota

3rd-4th century
Minamitane Town Board of Education, Kagoshima

木簡「多褹嶋」

Wooden tablet with characters “Tanenoshima”

8th century
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
(Display of the original object: 17 – 29 Jan 2023)

Part Two: The Advent of Guns

The Higo clan, who were appointed governors of the Tokara islands in the eleventh century, built a stronghold on Tanegashima and eventually took the name of the island as their own. During their reign, they sent valuable goods they had obtained through trade with regions such as the Ryukyu islands to aristocratic families, samurai, and religious institutions as gifts. This section presents a history of diplomatic exchange between Tanegashima and the rest of Japan from just before the introduction of firearms and beyond.

種子島家譜

Kagoshima Prefecture Designated Cultural Property
Genealogy of the Tanegashima Clan

Dated 1798–1811
Tanegashima Tokikuni

能野焼壺

Yokino ware jar

17th century
Honnōji Temple, Kyoto

Part Three: Island Life

Following their sudden jump to domestic fame due to the introduction of guns into Japan, the Tanegashima clan eventually yielded to the larger Shimazu clan, governors of the Satsuma domain to the north. Though they were administratively subsumed into this domain, the Tanegashima clan was allowed to remain as local governors of the island. This section introduces Tanegashima’s local customs and ways of life as they were shaped through the ages.

牛之原牧の証文

Nakatane Town Designated Cultural Property
Certificate for the pastures of Ushinohara

Dated 1821
Private collection

大隅国熊毛郡種子嶋沿海図

Coastal map of Ōsumi no Kuni, Kumage-gun, Tanegashima

By Inō Tadataka
19th century
Kyoto University Library
Display period: 13 Dec 2022 – 15 Jan 2023