View source for Yomitan

{{Short description|Village in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Yomitan
| official_name      = 
| native_name        = {{nobold|読谷村}}
| native_name_lang   = ja
| settlement_type    = Village
| other_name         = Yuntan
| image_skyline      = {{Multiple image
| border             = infobox
| perrow             = 1/2/2/1
| total_width        = 280
| caption_align      = center
| image1             = 残波ビーチ 20130204.jpg
| caption1           = Zanpa Beach
| image2             = 読谷村役場.jpg
| caption2           = Yomitan Village Office
| image3             = Doorway to the castle (3875119721).jpg
| caption3           = [[Zakimi Castle]]
| image4             = Toguchi Beach.jpg
| caption4           = Toguchi Beach
| image5             = Murasaki Mura 3.JPG
| caption5           = Murasaki Mura
| image6             = An awesome sunset at Cape Zanpa.jpg
| caption6           = Cape Zanpa Lighthouse
}}
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Yomitan, Okinawa.svg
| image_seal         = Emblem of Yomitan, Okinawa.svg
| image_map          = Yomitan in Okinawa Prefecture Ja.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Yomitan in [[Okinawa Prefecture]]
| pushpin_map        = Japan
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Japan
| coordinates        = {{coord|26|23|46|N|127|44|40|E|region:JP|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Japan
| subdivision_type1  = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kyushu]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Okinawa Prefecture]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Nakagami District, Okinawa|Nakagami]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Denjitsu Ishimine
| leader_title1      = Vice Mayor
| leader_name1       = 
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_total_km2     = 35.17
| population_total   = 41,206
| population_as_of   = October 1, 2020
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone1          = [[Japan Standard Time|JST]]
| utc_offset1        = +09:00
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| blank_name_sec1    = City hall address
| blank_info_sec1    = 
| website            = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20070809122333/http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp:80/1/99.html}}
}}

{{nihongo|'''Yomitan'''|読谷村|Yomitan-son|lead=yes|extra=[[Okinawan language|Okinawan]]: ''Yuntan''<ref>Smits, Gregory. Visions of Ryukyu. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999. p11.</ref>}} is a [[List of villages in Japan|village]] located in [[Nakagami District, Okinawa|Nakagami District]], [[Okinawa Prefecture]], [[Japan]].

== Geography ==
Yomitan is located on the western coast of the central part of [[Okinawa Island]].<ref name="n" /> The village is bound to the north by [[Onna, Okinawa|Onna]], to the east by [[Okinawa, Okinawa|Okinawa City]], to the south by [[Kadena, Okinawa|Kadena]], and to the west by the [[East China Sea]].

31.5% of the land area is zoned for agriculture, 35.7% is zoned as forest, 12.3% is zoned for housing, and the remaining 20.6% is zoned for other uses.<ref name="Land">{{cite web|url=http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/2/1659.html|title=Utilization of the Land|publisher=Yomitan Village|year=2000|access-date=November 3, 2012|archive-date=December 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225222330/http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/2/1659.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
The village includes twenty-three wards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=沖縄県 中頭郡読谷村の郵便番号 – 日本郵便 |url=https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-zip/zipcode.php?addr=%E6%B2%96%E7%B8%84%E7%9C%8C%E4%B8%AD%E9%A0%AD%E9%83%A1%E8%AA%AD%E8%B0%B7%E6%9D%91 |access-date=October 3, 2024 |website=www.post.japanpost.jp}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
*Furugen ({{Nihongo2|古堅}})
*Gima ({{Nihongo2|儀間}})
*Hija ({{Nihongo2|比謝}})
*Hijabashi ({{Nihongo2|比謝矼}})
*Iramina ({{Nihongo2|伊良皆}})
*Kina ({{Nihongo2|喜名}})
*Makibaru ({{Nihongo2|牧原}})
*Nagata ({{Nihongo2|長田}})
*Nagahama ({{Nihongo2|長浜}})
*Namihira ({{Nihongo2|波平}})
*Ōki ({{Nihongo2|大木}})
*Ōwan ({{Nihongo2|大湾}})
*Oyashi ({{Nihongo2|親志}})
*Senaha ({{Nihongo2|瀬名波}})
*Sobe ({{Nihongo2|楚辺}})
**Ōsoe ({{Nihongo2|大添}})
*Takashiho ({{Nihongo2|高志保}})
*Toguchi ({{Nihongo2|渡具知}})
*Tokeshi ({{Nihongo2|渡慶次}})
*Toya ({{Nihongo2|都屋}})
*Uechi ({{Nihongo2|上地}})
*Uza ({{Nihongo2|宇座}})
*Zakimi ({{Nihongo2|座喜味}})
{{Div col end}}

== History ==
Originally known as {{nihongo|Yomitanzan|読谷山||{{langx|ryu|italic=yes|Yuntanja}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jlect.com/entry/1573/yuntanja/ | title=JLect – ゆんたんじゃ【読谷村】 : Yuntanja &#124; define meaning }}</ref>}}, it was part of the Kingdom of [[Chūzan]] during the [[Sanzan period]].<ref name="sengoku">Uezato, Takashi. ''Ryūkyū Sengoku Rekidan'' (in Japanese). Naha: Border Ink Publishing, 2015. 40–41.</ref> In 1416, the [[Aji (Ryukyu)|Aji]] of Yomitanzan [[Magiri]], [[Gosamaru]], helped [[Shō Hashi]] invade [[Hokuzan]].<ref name="sengoku" /> Although Gosamaru lived in [[Yamada Castle]], Shō Hashi allowed him to build [[Zakimi Castle]].<ref name="sengoku" /> The castle, along with other castle sites in Okinawa, was designated a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in November 2000.<ref name="n" /> The port of Hamanaga, which was located in the north of Yomitanzan, was an important center of [[Nanban trade|Nanban]], or "southern barbarian", trade of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom]].<ref name="n" /> Yomitanzan was also the site of a landing during the [[Invasion of Ryukyu]] by [[Satsuma Domain]] in 1609.<ref>Turnbull, Stephen. ''The Samurai Capture a King: Okinawa 1609''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2009. 37–39.</ref> After Japan annexed Ryukyu in 1879, Yomitanzan continued to be a magiri; all of the magiri were abolished in 1907 and Yomitanzan became a [[Villages of Japan|village]].<ref name="d" />

Yomitan was the initial site of fighting on [[Okinawa Island]] during [[World War II]]. Zakimi Castle was used as a gun emplacement by the Japanese military. The [[Hija River]], between Yomitan and then-[[Chatan, Okinawa|Chatan]] (Kadena area), was the site of the initial landing of the [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] in the [[Battle of Okinawa]]. The [[United States Marine Corps]] landed on the Yomitan-side of the river, while the [[United States Army]] landed on the Chatan side. The village is known for one of the most devastating examples of mass suicide during World War II. Villagers took refuge in Chibichiri Cave during the Battle of Okinawa. Faced with the rapid advance of American troops, approximately 140 men, women, and children were convinced or ordered by the Japanese military to commit mass suicide (''shūdan jiketsu'') on April 2, 1945.<ref>{{cite news | title = Memorial service held in Chibichiri Gama marks 67 years since the Battle of Okinawa | url = http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2012/04/13/6617/ | newspaper = Ryukyu Shimpo | publisher = Ryukyu Shimpo Co. Ltd. | location = Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan | date = April 2, 2012}}</ref> After the war, the village was renamed Yomitan.<ref name="n" />

== Population ==
As of December 2012, the village had an estimated population of 40,517 and a population density of {{convert|1200|PD/km2|PD/sqmi}}.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/index.html | script-title=ja:人口の情報 | trans-title = Population Information | year = 2012 | publisher = Village of Yomitan | location = Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan | access-date = January 27, 2013 | language = ja}}</ref> The total area of the village is {{convert|35.17|km2|mi2}}.<ref name="n">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) |title=読谷（村） |url=http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |access-date=January 27, 2013 |year=2013 |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Tokyo |language=ja |trans-title=Yomitan |oclc=153301537 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |archive-date=August 25, 2007 }}</ref> This is the largest village in Japan by population.

== Government ==
The mayor of Yomitan is Denjitsu Ishimine.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/1/9.html | script-title = ja:村長あいさつ | trans-title = Greetings from the Mayor | year = 2012 | publisher = Village of Yomitan | location = Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan | access-date = January 27, 2013 | language = ja | archive-date = March 6, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130306085428/http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/1/9.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> As Yomitan is designated as a village, it is under the administration of [[Nakagami District, Okinawa|Nakagami District]]. Once Yomitan reaches a population of over 50,000 it can then be classified as a [[Cities of Japan|city]] {{Nihongo| |市|shi}}, thereby gaining a measure of autonomy and independence.

The village has adopted as its symbol the flying [[phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]], playing on the fact that the shape of the village resembles a bird in flight. The village flower is the [[bougainvillea]].

== Industry ==
6% of the working population of Yomitan is engaged in so-called "primary" industries, including agriculture and fishing. 25% is engaged in the "secondary" industries, i.e. food processing and manufacturing; and 69% is engaged in the "tertiary" industries, services and trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/2/1660.html|title=Industries|publisher=Yomitan Village|year=2000|access-date=November 3, 2012|archive-date=December 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225225223/http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/2/1660.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Agriculture ==
[[File:Yomitan Yachimun no Sato.jpg|thumb|Kiln in Yomitan producing ''yachimun'']]

The chief cash crop of Yomitan is the [[chrysanthemum]], which, unlike in mainland Japan, can be grown in Okinawa during the winter months with the aid of artificial light at night. Chrysanthemums are followed in value by [[sugarcane]] and pigs, in that order.<ref name="Products">{{cite web|url-status=dead |url=http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/2/1661.html|title=Major Products |publisher=Yomitan Village|year=2000|access-date=November 3, 2012|archive-date=October 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026000609/http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/2/1661.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Japan |title=Yomitan |url=http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |access-date=January 27, 2013 |year=2013 |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Tokyo |oclc=56431036 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |archive-date=August 25, 2007 }}</ref>

Sugarcane is particularly suited to cultivation in Okinawa, as it does not require significant infrastructure (such as irrigation), grows well in Okinawa's soil, and can be left unattended for 18 months until harvest. The harvesting, refining, and butchering of commercial agricultural products are coordinated by the [[National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives]] (JA), and the growers receive a share of the profits.

Another important crop in Yomitan is the {{nihongo|purple sweet potato|[[:ja:紅いも|紅いも]]|beni imo}}, if not for its value as a cash crop then as part of the local culture and tourist industry; the town promotes itself as the {{nihongo|"beni imo hometown"|紅いもの里|beni imo no sato}}, and holds a {{nihongo|Miss Beni Imo|紅いも娘|beni imo musume}} contest each year. [[Sweet potato]] cultivation first reached Japan via Okinawa from present-day [[Taiwan]], predating rice cultivation, and either Yomitan or neighboring [[Kadena, Okinawa|Kadena]] can lay claim as the first cultivators of sweet potato in Japan.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

== Culture ==
[[File:Eisa dance by Tokeshi Youth Association at Amis Music Festival 2016 IMF0862.jpg|thumb|Yomitan youth performing an [[Eisa (dance)|eisa dance]]]]

In addition to beautiful and largely unspoiled beaches,{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Yomitan attracts tourists for its folk crafts, including [[Ryukyuan pottery]] (''yachimun'', or {{lang|ryu|やちむん}} in Okinawan), [[glassblowing]] ([[Ryukyu glass]] being a famed product), sugar making, and salt making. There are several facilities where tourists can try their hand at these crafts and take their handiwork home as souvenirs.<ref name="Products" />

Also of interest are the remains of {{nihongo|[[Zakimi Castle]]|座喜味城|Zakimi Gusuku}}.

==Cultural and natural assets==
Yomitan Village hosts twelve designated or registered tangible cultural properties and monuments, at the national, prefectural or municipal level.<ref>{{Cite web |title=読谷村内の文化財{{!}}沖縄県読谷村 |url=https://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp/soshiki/bunka_shinko/gyomu/rekishi_bunkazai/bunkazai/1917.html |access-date=October 16, 2024 |website=www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp |language=ja}}</ref> 
*Name (Japanese) (Type of registration)

===[[Cultural Property (Japan)|Cultural Properties]]===
*Hija Bridge Inscription ({{Nihongo2|比謝橋碑文}}) (Municipal)
*Yomitan Zero Milestone ({{Nihongo2|読谷村道路元標 / 讀谷山村道路元標}}) (Municipal)
*[[Zakimi Castle|Zakimi Castle Site]] ({{Nihongo2|座喜味城跡}}) (Prefectural)

===[[Cultural Property (Japan)#Folk Cultural Properties|Folk Cultural Properties]]===
*Kina Kannondō Shrine ({{Nihongo2|喜名観音堂}}) (Municipal)
*Kina Tūtīkū Praying Site ({{Nihongo2|喜名土帝君}}) (Municipal)
*Tī-uhaka Tomb ({{Nihongo2|樋御墓}}) (Municipal)

===[[Monuments of Japan#Designated monuments of Japan| Historic Sites]]===
*Bunker ({{Nihongo2|掩体壕}}) (Municipal)
*Chibichirigama Cave ({{Nihongo2|チビチリガマ}}) (National)
*Kina Banjo Guards House ({{Nihongo2|喜名番所跡}}) (Municipal)
*[[Momenbaru Site]] ({{Nihongo2|木綿原遺跡}}) (National)
*Monument to the Loyal Dead ({{Nihongo2|忠魂碑}}) (Municipal)
*Nagahama Shell Mound ({{Nihongo2|長浜貝塚}}) (Municipal)
*[[Zakimi Castle|Zakimi Castle Site]] ({{Nihongo2|座喜味城跡}})

== U.S. military bases ==
[[File:読谷村における基地面積の変遷図 1945-1972-2014.png|thumb|Reclamation of Yomitan for civilian use: Grey denotes the area leased to the U.S. military in 1946, 1972, and 2014.]]

Approximately {{convert|1,261|ha|acre km2}}, which is 36% of the area of the village,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-20111-storytopic-3.html|script-title=ja:米軍楚辺通信所など１０６ヘクタールきょう返還|work=Ryūkyū Shimpō|date=December 31, 2006|language=ja|access-date=November 3, 2012|archive-date=May 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531014200/http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-20111-storytopic-3.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> is leased to the [[Ministry of Defense (Japan)|Ministry of Defense of Japan]] and used as [[United States military]] bases under the [[U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement]]. Areas outside the current boundary of Torii Station were developed as American family housing, but have been returned to Okinawan ownership.

Two facilities, [[Torii Station|Torii Communication Station]] ([[United States Army|Army]]; 194 ha) and a part of Kadena Ammunition Storage Area (Air Force and Marine; 1066 ha), are located in the village. Senaha Communication Site ([[United States Air Force|Air Force]]; 61 ha), Sobe Communication Site (aka ''Elephant Cage'', decommissioned in 2006, [[United States Navy|Navy]]; 54 ha), and [[Yontan Airfield|Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield]] ([[United States Marine Corps|Marine]]; 191 ha) were returned in 2007 and have been developed into the Yomitan Village Office and civic facilities, including running tracks and baseball fields.<ref name="Land" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mod.go.jp/e/d_act/us/dp16.html|title=Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (two-plus-two) and Alliance|publisher=Ministry of Defense of Japan|access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

== Transportation ==
Yomitan is connected to Naha and other areas of Okinawa Island by bus. The town is crossed by [[Japan National Route 58]].<ref name="n" />

== Notable people from Yomitan ==
*[[Tsutomu Aragaki]], tenor
*[[Keiko Itokazu]], politician
*[[Tokushin Yamauchi]], politician
*[[Chōbyō Yara]], former politician

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="d">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Dijitaru Daijisen | title = 間切り | url = http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ | access-date = May 2, 2013 | year = 2013 | publisher = Shogakukan | location = Tokyo | language = ja | trans-title = Magiri | oclc = 56431036}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{osmrelation-inline|3573297}}
* {{Official website|http://www.vill.yomitan.okinawa.jp|Yomitan official website}}

{{Okinawa}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Okinawa Prefecture]]