View source for Sado, Niigata

{{For|the historical province of Sado|Sado Province}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=geo|佐渡市|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Sado
| native_name = {{nobold|{{lang|ja|佐渡市}}}}
| native_name_lang = ja
| official_name = Sado City
| settlement_type = [[Cities of Japan|City]]
| image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Sadokinzan-doyunowareto_01.JPG
| photo1b = 両津港_(5742186660).jpg
| photo2a = 矢島経島たらい舟_-_panoramio.jpg
| photo2b = Sado_Shukunegi.jpg
| size = 280
| color_border = ffffff
| color = cccccc
| position = center
 }}
| image_caption = <table style="width:280px;margin:2px auto; border-collapse: collapse">
<tr><td>[[Sado mine|Sado gold mine]]<td>Ryotsu Port</tr>
<tr><td>Taraibune in [[Ogi, Niigata|Ogi]]<td>Shukunegi</tr>
</table>
| image_flag = Flag of Sado, Niigata.svg
| image_seal = Emblem of Sado, Niigata.svg
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map = Sado in Niigata Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location of Sado in [[Niigata Prefecture]]
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| coordinates = {{coord|38|01|06|N|138|22|06|E|region:JP|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{JAP}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[List of islands of Japan|Island]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Honshu]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Chūbu region|Chūbu]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Niigata Prefecture]]
| established_title = First official recorded 
| established_date = 135 AD 
| established_title2 = As city of Ryōtsu 
| established_date2 = November 3, 1954
| established_title3 = Town merger and new name
| established_date3 = March 1, 2004
| founder =
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| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Ryugo Watanabe (since April 2020)
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| area_total_km2 = 855.69
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| population_total = 48195
| population_as_of = June 1, 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
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| timezone1 = [[Japan Standard Time]]
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| blank_name_sec1 = Phone&nbsp;number
| blank_info_sec1 = 
| blank1_name_sec1 = Address
| blank1_info_sec1 = 232 Chigusa, Sado-shi, Niigata-ken
| blank_name_sec2        = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2        = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
| website = {{url|https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/}}
| footnotes =
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=yes
 | tree = ''[[Thujopsis]]''
 | flower = ''[[Daylily]]''
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}}
[[File:Sado city hall.JPG|thumb|Sado City Hall]]
{{Nihongo|'''Sado'''|佐渡市|Sado-shi|{{IPA|ja|saꜜ.do, sa.doꜜ.ɕi}}<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典|publisher=NHK Publishing|editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute|date=24 May 2016|lang=ja}}</ref>}} is a [[Cities of Japan|city]] located on {{Nihongo|[[Sado Island]]|佐渡島|Sado(ga)shima}} in [[Niigata Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. Since 2004, the city has comprised the entire island, although not all of its total area is urbanized. Sado is the sixth largest island of Japan in area following the four [[List of islands of Japan|main islands]] and [[Okinawa Island]] (excluding the [[Kuril Islands dispute|Northern Territories]]). As of June 1, 2023, the city has an estimated [[population]] of 48,195 and a [[population density]] of {{convert|56.3|PD/km2}}. The total area is {{convert|855.69|km2}}.

==History==
===Political formation of the island===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2014}}
The large number of pottery artifacts found near Ogi in the South of the island demonstrate that Sado was populated as early as the [[Jōmon period]].

The ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' mentions that [[Mishihase]] people visited the island in 544 (although it is unknown whether Tungusic people effectively came).

The island formed a distinct [[Provinces of Japan|province]], the [[Sado Province]], separate from the [[Echigo province]] on Honshū, at the beginning of the 8th century. At first, the province was a single ''gun'' (district), but was later divided into three ''gun'': Sawata, Hamochi and Kamo.

In 1185, the designated representative [[Shugo]] for Sado, [[Osaragi]], appointed Honma Yoshihisa as his [[shugodai]] (delegate) for the province.

The rule of the [[Honma clan]] on Sado lasted until [[Uesugi Kagekatsu]] took control of the island in 1589. After the defeat of the [[Uesugi clan|Uesugi]] at [[Battle of Sekigahara|Sekigahara]], and the discovery of gold on the island, the [[Tokugawa shogunate|shogunate]] took direct control of the island.

The island was for a short time an independent [[Japanese prefecture|prefecture]], called the Aikawa prefecture, between 1871 and 1876, during the [[Meiji era]]. It then became a part of [[Niigata Prefecture]], which it is still as of today.

At the end of the 19th century, there were three [[Districts of Japan|districts]] ({{nihongo2|郡}}), seven towns ({{nihongo2|町}}), and 51 villages ({{nihongo2|村}}). During the 20th century, a series of mergers steadily reduced the number of political local authorities, following the recent trend in Japan to cut the costs of having separately run local administrations. The current city ({{nihongo2|市}}) covering the whole island was established on March 1, 2004 from a merger of all remaining municipalities on the island: the city of [[Ryōtsu, Niigata|Ryōtsu]]: the towns of [[Aikawa, Niigata|Aikawa]], [[Kanai, Niigata|Kanai]], [[Sawata, Niigata|Sawata]], [[Hatano, Niigata|Hatano]], [[Mano, Niigata|Mano]], [[Hamochi, Niigata|Hamochi]] and [[Ogi, Niigata|Ogi]]; and the villages of [[Niibo, Niigata|Niibo]], and [[Akadomari, Niigata|Akadomari]] (all from [[Sado District, Niigata|Sado District]]).

<gallery>
Amalgamation_Sado_jp.svg|10 subdivisions (former municipalities) in the Sado City
</gallery>

===Exile in Sado===
[[File:SadoKinenhi.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Nichiren]] Memorial at Jisso-ji Temple]]
When direct control from mainland Japan started around the 8th century, the island's remoteness meant that it soon became a place of banishment for difficult or inconvenient Japanese figures. Exile to remote locations such as Sado was a very serious punishment, second only to the death penalty, and people were not expected to return.

The earliest known dissident to be condemned to exile on Sadogashima was a poet, {{Nihongo|Hozumi no Asomi Oyu|穂積朝臣老}}. He was sent to the island in 722, reportedly for having criticized the emperor.

The former [[Emperor Juntoku]] was sent to Sado after his role in the [[Jōkyū War]] of 1221. The disgraced emperor survived twenty years on the island before his death; and because he was sent to Sado, this emperor is known posthumously as {{Nihongo|Sado-no-in|佐渡院}}. He is buried in the [[Mano Goryo]] mausoleum on the west coast.<ref>Bornoff, Nicholas. (2005). ''National Geographic Traveler Japan,'' p. 193.</ref>

The Buddhist monk [[Nichiren]] lived on Sado close to the present village Niibo in Kuninaka Plain from 1271 to 1274. In the 17th century, [[Konpon Ji Temple]] was built at the place where he lived. At the end of his exile, Nichiren lived at the place where [[Myosho Ji]] temple was built later. He used to meditate at the place where [[Jisso Ji Temple]] can be visited today. In addition, [[Nipponzan Myohoji]], a modern Nichiren Buddhist order, established a [[Peace Pagoda]] in the city to help in inspiring people toward [[world peace]].

The [[Noh]] dramatist [[Zeami Motokiyo]] was exiled on unspecified charges in 1434.

The last banishment in Sado took place in 1700, almost a millennium after the first.

===Gold mine===
[[File:Sado gold mountain.jpg|thumb|[[Sado mine|Sado gold mine]]]]
Sado experienced a sudden economic boom during the [[Edo period]] when gold was found in 1601 at {{Nihongo|Aikawa|相川}}. A major source of revenue for the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], the mines were worked in very severe conditions.

A manpower shortage led to a second wave of "exiles" coming to Sado, although this time it was not imposed as a sentence for a committed crime. By sending homeless people (the number of whom was growing in Japanese cities at the time) to Sado from the 18th century, the Shogunate hoped to kill two birds with one stone. The homeless were sent as water collectors and worked in extremely hard conditions, with a short life expectancy. The [[Sado mine]] at its peak in the Edo era produced around {{convert|400|kg|lbt}} of gold a year (as well as some silver). The small settlement of Aikawa quickly reached a population of around 100,000. The mine closed in 1989.

===External influence on Sado culture===
In [[feudal Japan]], when the Nishimawari naval route was opened in 1672, Ogi (in the South of the Island) became a main stop on this major naval route in the [[Sea of Japan]] between the [[Kansai]] area and northern areas of the archipelago.

Exiles and shipping in old times both had a major influence on Sado's cultural background. The island is for instance dotted with Noh theaters, and the local Japanese dialect and accent are different from those of Niigata.

===Emergency landing on Sado===
A few months after World War II, on 18 January 1946, a Douglas Dakota (C-47) ''Sister Ann'' in British RAF service made an emergency landing on the island.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Powell|first1=Dennis M|title=Correspondence|journal=Flight and Aircraft Engineer|date=9 August 1957|volume=72|issue=2533|page=204|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201114.html|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> The locals helped in the recovery and building a runway for it to depart, the story of which was made into a film named ''Tobe! Dakota'' (''Fly, Dakota, Fly!'')<ref>{{IMDb name | 2024539 | Fly, Dakota, Fly!}}</ref> with the film's Dakota made into an island exhibit.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Harano|first1=Jōji|title=The True Story of the Downed Dakota: Sado Islanders Come Together to Help Create 'Fly, Dakota, Fly!'|url=http://www.nippon.com/en/features/c01105/|website=nippon.com|date=2 October 2013|publisher=Nippon Communications Foundation|access-date=11 February 2015}}</ref> The story of the events leading up to the crash were also made into a film, ''[[The Night My Number Came Up]]''.

==Geography==
{{See also|Sado Island}}
[[File:Sado-map.png|thumb|150px|Map of Sado Island]]
The island consists of two parallel mountain ranges running roughly southwest–northeast, enclosing a central plain. The {{nihongo|Ōsado|大佐渡}} range, in the north, is slightly higher, with peaks of {{nihongo|Mount Kinpoku|金北山}}, the highest point of the island at {{convert|1172|m|ft}}, [[Mount Kongō (Sado)|Mount Kongō]], Mount Myōken, and Mount Donden. {{nihongo|Kosado|小佐渡}} range in the south faces the [[Honshu]] coast. The highest point in Kosado is {{nihongo|Ōjiyama|大地山}} at 645 m.

The plain in between is called {{nihongo|Kuninaka|国中}} and is the most populated area. The Kuninaka plain opens on its eastern side onto {{nihongo|Ryōtsu Bay|両津湾}}, and on its western side onto {{nihongo|Mano Bay|真野湾}}, where the longest river, {{nihongo|Kokufugawa|国府川||also read Konogawa}} reaches the sea.

The island has a symmetrical shape. {{nihongo|[[Lake Kamo]]|加茂湖}}, on the eastern side of Kuninaka, is [[brackish lake|filled with salt water]], and is a growing place for [[oyster]]s.

<gallery>
SadoGaShima.jpg|Sado island
Sadogashima_-_2009-08-06_-_03-v1.jpg|View of the coast of Sado
</gallery>

===Climate===
Sado has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa'') with potentially hot, humid summers and cold winters. Precipitation is quite heavy throughout the year.

{{Weather box
|width=auto
|collapsed = Y
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|location = Aikawa, Sado, Niigata, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1911−present
| Jan record high C  = 17.0
| Feb record high C  = 20.7
| Mar record high C  = 24.1
| Apr record high C  = 28.0
| May record high C  = 30.0
| Jun record high C  = 34.1
| Jul record high C  = 37.4
| Aug record high C  = 38.5
| Sep record high C  = 37.4
| Oct record high C  = 31.5
| Nov record high C  = 26.3
| Dec record high C  = 22.9
| year record high C = 
|Jan high C = 6.5
|Feb high C = 6.7
|Mar high C = 9.6
|Apr high C = 14.9
|May high C = 19.9
|Jun high C = 23.3
|Jul high C = 27.1
|Aug high C = 29.3
|Sep high C = 25.9
|Oct high C = 20.5
|Nov high C = 15.0
|Dec high C = 9.7
|Jan mean C = 4.0
|Feb mean C = 4.0
|Mar mean C = 6.5
|Apr mean C = 11.1
|May mean C = 15.9
|Jun mean C = 19.8
|Jul mean C = 24.0
|Aug mean C = 26.0
|Sep mean C = 22.5
|Oct mean C = 17.2
|Nov mean C = 11.8
|Dec mean C = 6.8
|Jan low C = 1.3
|Feb low C = 1.0
|Mar low C = 2.9
|Apr low C = 7.2
|May low C = 12.0
|Jun low C = 16.6
|Jul low C = 21.3
|Aug low C = 22.9
|Sep low C = 19.2
|Oct low C = 13.6
|Nov low C = 8.2
|Dec low C = 3.8
| Jan record low C  = -7.5
| Feb record low C  = -7.4
| Mar record low C  = -6.4
| Apr record low C  = -2.1
| May record low C  = 2.5
| Jun record low C  = 7.6
| Jul record low C  = 12.1
| Aug record low C  = 14.6
| Sep record low C  = 9.5
| Oct record low C  = 4.4
| Nov record low C  = -2.8
| Dec record low C  = -6.6
| year record low C =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 131.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 91.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 96.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 94.5
|May precipitation mm = 97.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 122.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 207.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 137.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 139.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 133.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 154.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 175.7
|unit rain days = 3 mm
|Jan rain days = 19.7
|Feb rain days = 15.3
|Mar rain days = 14.0
|Apr rain days = 10.3
|May rain days = 9.7
|Jun rain days = 9.0
|Jul rain days = 10.9
|Aug rain days = 8.7
|Sep rain days = 10.4
|Oct rain days = 12.3
|Nov rain days = 16.6
|Dec rain days = 20.9
|Jan snow cm = 28
|Feb snow cm = 25
|Mar snow cm = 4
|Apr snow cm = 0
|May snow cm = 0
|Jun snow cm = 0
|Jul snow cm = 0
|Aug snow cm = 0
|Sep snow cm = 0
|Oct snow cm = 0
|Nov snow cm = 0
|Dec snow cm = 9
|unit snow days = 1 cm
|Jan snow days = 7.1
|Feb snow days = 6.8
|Mar snow days = 1.4
|Apr snow days = 0
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0
|Nov snow days = 0
|Dec snow days = 2.5
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 69
|Feb humidity = 68
|Mar humidity = 66
|Apr humidity = 67
|May humidity = 72
|Jun humidity = 78
|Jul humidity = 81
|Aug humidity = 77
|Sep humidity = 73
|Oct humidity = 69
|Nov humidity = 68
|Dec humidity = 69
|Jan sun = 46.2
|Feb sun = 69.2
|Mar sun = 133.1
|Apr sun = 177.0
|May sun = 200.7
|Jun sun = 178.4
|Jul sun = 161.2
|Aug sun = 207.8
|Sep sun = 157.0
|Oct sun = 147.5
|Nov sun = 95.8
|Dec sun = 50.6
|source 1 = [[Japan Meteorological Agency]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=54&block_no=47602&year=&month=&day=&view=
|title=Aikawa Climate Normals 1991-2020
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = February 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=54&block_no=47602&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|title=Aikawa Climate Extremes 
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = February 18, 2022}}</ref>}}

==Demographics==
Per Japanese census data,<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-niigata.php Sado population statistics]</ref> the population of Sado peaked around 1950 and has declined by roughly 60 percent in the decades since.
{{Historical populations
| 1920 | 107,351
| 1930 | 106,262
| 1940 | 109,016
| 1950 | 125,597
| 1960 | 113,296
| 1970 | 92,558
| 1980 | 84,992
| 1990 | 78,061
| 2000 | 72,173
| 2010 | 62,727
| 2020 | 51,492
|align       = none
| footnote = 
}}

==Today==

===Economy===
[[File:Sado_Crested_Ibis_Reintroduction_Center.jpg |thumb|Rice fields and Crested Ibis Reintroduction Center in the background.]]
As of May 1, 2017, the island has an estimated population of 55,474. The island of Sado has seen a steady decline in population since 1950 when the population was 125,597. Similar trends have been common in other remote locations of Japan since World War II as younger generations have moved to more urban areas. As of October 1, 2008, 36.3% of the island population is over 65 years old, which is a larger ratio than the national average. Over 65 is the only increasing age demographic. The island is now less populated than it was in the 18th and 19th century. There is no university, and the options for post high school studies, short of leaving and going to the mainland, are limited to a few specialty schools.

Agriculture and fishing are major sources of income for Sado. According to the 2000 national census, 22.3% of the workforce was employed in the [[primary sector]] and 25% in the [[secondary sector of industry|secondary sector]]. Fishing is mainly based in Ryotsu and Aikawa.

Tourism boomed in the beginning of the 1990s and peaked at over 1.2 million yearly visitors, but visitor numbers decreased over the 1990s. In the mid-2000s, the number of visitors was closer to 650,000 per year.

Sado is known for a number of [[Japanese bamboo weaving]] artists and artisans who are renowned throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7bc3b99ad8-d846-4450-a5e7-bc1cccd4d649%7d&amp;oid=707006 |title=Honma Hideaki &#124; Flowing Pattern &#124; Japan &#124; Heisei period (1989–present) &#124; the Met |website=www.metmuseum.org |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005051027/https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7bc3b99ad8-d846-4450-a5e7-bc1cccd4d649%7d&amp;oid=707006 |archive-date=5 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kagedo.com/wordpress/g/bamboo-sculpture-honma-hideaki-nitten-exhibition-2011/|title=Kagedo Japanese Art Bamboo Sculpture by Honma Hideaki, Nitten Exhibition 2011 - Kagedo Japanese Art|website=kagedo.com|access-date=11 October 2018|archive-date=11 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511190654/http://kagedo.com/wordpress/g/bamboo-sculpture-honma-hideaki-nitten-exhibition-2011/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7bc3b99ad8-d846-4450-a5e7-bc1cccd4d649%7d&amp;oid=726144|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171005201810/https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?exhibitionId=%7bc3b99ad8-d846-4450-a5e7-bc1cccd4d649%7d&amp;oid=726144|archive-date = 2017-10-05|title = Kosuge Kōgetsu &#124; Flower Basket (Hineri-gumi hanakago) &#124; Japan &#124; Shōwa period (1926–89) | date=1976 }}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:史跡佐渡金山_-_panoramio.jpg|thumb|Ruins of Kitazawa Flotation Plant, [[Sado mine|Sado gold mine]]]]
[[File:Yajima and Kyojima, Sado Island - Aerial Video.webm|thumb|thumbtime=0:08|Aerial video of Yajima and Kyojima, Sado Island]]
Its rich history and relaxed rural atmosphere make Sado one of the major tourist destinations in [[Niigata Prefecture]]. The island has several temples and historical ruins, and offers possibilities for various outdoor activities, as well as fresh local food.

Sado is famous as the major breeding area for the Japanese [[crested ibis]]. The last known Japan-born Japanese crested ibis died in captivity in 2003 on the island. Currently, birds from China are being bred in a captive program in a facility in Niibo area, and have been released since 2008. The first hatchings in the wild were observed in April 2012. The ibis is a major symbol of the Island and can be found on several tourist items. As of June 2022, approximately 480 crested ibis have been observed making a radical comeback for their species, thanks to conservation efforts.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufOJrFR6lTs |title=In Japan, a real-life phoenix rises from the ashes of extinction |website=[[YouTube]] |date=23 June 2022 }}</ref>

There are many small local traditional festivals, and since 1988 a major yearly arts festival, called the Earth Celebration, has been run by the [[taiko]] group [[Kodo (taiko group)|Kodo]]. The group lives on the island, touring eight months a year, and in August they invite international artists to collaborate with them at their festival on Sado. Tickets are limited for the three-day weekend event. In recent years, Kodo has made a solo performance on the Friday evening; the festival's invited act plays Saturday night; and Sunday concludes with a joint performance with Kodo and guests.

The Sado tourism industry suffered direct (though limited) as well as indirect damage from the [[2004 Chūetsu earthquake]], as access routes inside Niigata Prefecture were cut.

==== Sights ====
Sado has a large variety of sights to offer.
* Myōsen-ji is a temple with a five-storied pagoda a few kilometers east of Mano. The pagoda was built by two generations of carpenters and took 30 years to complete in 1825.<ref>Shobunsha Publications: ''Niigata to Sadogashima'', p. 241. Tokyo 2002. {{ISBN|4-398-14261-4}}</ref>
* Konpon-ji Temple in the village of Niibo in the middle of the island was built in the 17th century at the very place where [[Nichiren]] lived at first during his exile on Sadogashima.
* [[Rengebuji]] Temple near Ogi, housing several buildings classified as important cultural properties. 
* For two years, Nichiren lived at the place where Myōshō-ji Temple can be visited today. The temple which has a beautiful garden is northeast of the town of Sawata. Jisso-ji Temple which is visited by many pilgrims is close by. It was built at a place where Nichiren used to meditate. The pine tree where he used to hang his clothes can still be seen today.<ref>Shobunsha Publications: ''Niigata to Sadogashima'', p. 243. Tokyo 2002. {{ISBN|4-398-14261-4}}</ref> A tall Nichiren Memorial was erected close to the temple.
* The Art and Natural History Museum of Sado is on the west coast between Sawata and Mano. Some reconstructed pile houses can be seen in its garden. Originally, the inhabitants of Sado lived in pile houses.
* A traditional wooden Noh Theatre which was built in the 19th century can be visited near Daizen Shrine in the east of Mano.
* Shukunegi is a historically preserved ward which has existed since the Edo Era as a Sado port town. The streets brimming over with atmosphere and built by shipwrights are splendid.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://planetyze.com/en/japan/sado/shukunegi/information|title=About Shukunegi - Sado Travel Guide {{!}} Planetyze|website=Planetyze|language=en|access-date=2017-11-02}}</ref>

<gallery>
Nipponia_nippon_20091230131054.png|A [[crested ibis]] nearby the Crested Ibis Conservation Center on Sado Island
File:Myosenji 5junoTou 20100710.JPG|Myōsen-ji Temple
File:Konponji-Tempel.jpg|Konpon-ji Temple
Noh Performance (235951661).jpeg|Noh theatre
File:Sado bugyousyo.JPG|Reconstruction of the [[Sado bugyō]]sho
Senkakuwan_20170416-2.jpg|Senkakuwan
File:Himezaki_Lighthouse.jpg|Himezaki lighthouse
</gallery>

==Transportation==
[[File:Updated Japan Niigata Pref Map (1).png|thumb|Routes connecting to the mainland]]
===Ship===
[[Sado Steam Ship]] operates two routes connecting to the mainland.
* [[Joetsu, Niigata|Joetsu]] – Ogi (Jetfoil, only from spring to autumn)
* Niigata – Ryotsu ([[Ferry]] and [[Boeing 929|jetfoil]])

===Bus===
[[File:Niigata-Kotsu-Sado_1.jpg|thumb|A transit bus of Niigata Kotsu Kanko Bus]]
[[Transit bus]] network all over the island is operated by Niigata Kotsu Kanko Bus.

===Air===
Kyokushin Airways, operating the route to Niigata, ceased its operations in September 2008. [[New Japan Aviation]] operated three or four flights daily to [[Sado Airport]], but service to the airport was suspended indefinitely in April 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=新潟県：佐渡空港|url=http://www.pref.niigata.lg.jp/sado_seibi/1204045245988.html|access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref>

==Notable people==

*[[Aka Akasaka]] (b. 1988), manga artist and writer.
* [[Hachirō Arita]] ({{lang|ja|有田 八郎}}, 1884–1965), a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as the [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] for three terms. He is believed to have originated the concept of the [[Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere]].
* [[Makoto Asashima]] ({{lang|ja|浅島 誠}}, born 1944), biologist<ref name="brh">{{cite web |url= http://www.brh.co.jp/s_library/j_site/scientistweb/no76/ |script-title=ja:変わらない熱情で、中胚葉へと変わる過程を見る |work=Science Library Special |publisher=JT Biohistory Research Hall |language=ja |access-date=29 January 2014 }}</ref>
*[[Hideyo Hanazumi]] (b. 1958), politician and Governor of Niigata Prefecture.
* [[Charles Robert Jenkins]] (1940–2017), former [[United States Army]] sergeant who deserted to [[North Korea]] in 1965 where he was detained until 2004. He lived on Sado with his Japanese wife [[Hitomi Soga]], an [[North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens|abductee]] he met in [[North Korea]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-16-fg-japan-jenkins16-story.html |title=Second life of GI who deserted to North Korea |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=16 July 2009 |access-date=11 July 2014 |last=Glionna |first=John M.}}</ref>
* [[Ikki Kita]] (北 一輝 Kita Ikki, 1883 – 1937); real name: Kita Terujirō (北 輝次郎)), Japanese author, intellectual and political philosopher active in early-Shōwa period.
*[[Hitomi Nabatame]] (b. 1976), actress and singer.

==See also==
*[[Sado Island]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Bornoff, Nicholas (2005). ''National Geographic Traveler Japan'' (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: [[National Geographic Society]]. {{ISBN|0-7922-3894-X}}. {{OCLC|60860593}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Sado Island}}
* [https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/ Official website] {{in lang|ja}}
* [https://www.visitsado.com/en/ Sado Tourism Association Website] {{in lang|en}}

{{Niigata}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sado, Niigata| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Niigata Prefecture]]
[[Category:Port settlements in Japan]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Japan]]
[[Category:World Heritage Tentative List]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 2004]]