Inujima (犬島; [inɯdʑima], lit. "Dog Island") is a Japanese island in the Seto Inland Sea, located near the coast of Okayama Prefecture. It is part of Higashi-ku, Okayama.[1]

Inujima
Native name:
犬島
Island with forests, lakes, buildings, and quays
Aerial photo of Inujima, circa 1980
Map
Interactive map of Inujima
Administration
Japan
Higashi-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture
Demographics
Population47 (2017)

As of 2017, Inujima has a population of 47.[2]

Access from mainland

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A ferry service operates between Hōden and Inujima.[3]

Industrial heritage

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A copper refinery was opened on the island in 1909, but this closed in 1919.[2] The brick-built refinery remained largely undemolished, and from 2008, it formed the centrepiece of a large-scale art project designed to stimulate tourism to the island.[4]

Inujima Art Project

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 Ruined buildings in front of a chimney which is slowly being consumed by vines
Remains of the refinery in 2011

The Inujima Art Project (犬島アートプロジェクト) is a rehabilitation project covering the entire island by the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation, a project of Benesse Corporation. It opened to the public in April 2008.[5]

The first phase of the project was to turn the old seirensho copper refinery into a model of contemporary architecture and art to recycle the Japanese industrial heritage. It was the coordinated efforts of the architect Hiroshi Sambuichi and Yukinori Yanagi.[6] The museum reuses elements of the refinery and the former house of Yukio Mishima, a Nobel-nominated writer known for his vocal dissent of Japan's modernization.[5]

Population data

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The population of the island has changed over the years as follows.[2]

YearPopulationNumber of households
18228018
186211022
19191,200240
19351,500280
1945982241
19511,350242
1955843220
1960629189
1969750190
1975353133
198422493
199113070
199611559
20017949
20027045
20057244
20174735

Film locations

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References

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  1. 区内の住所一覧あ行 [Ward Address List] (in Japanese). Japan: City of Okayama. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 犬島の歴史 [The History of Inujima] (in Japanese). Japan: City of Okayama. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  3. 運航ダイヤ [Ferry service] (in Japanese). Japan: Nikkan Kaiji Tsushin Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 January 1999. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  4. "Inujima Island". Japan: japan-guide.com. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  5. 1 2 Simms, James. "Japanese Tycoon Soichiro Fukutake Masters The Art Of The Turnaround". Forbes. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  6. "Following Ando to the Inland Sea | 2015-06-26 | Architectural Record". www.architecturalrecord.com. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
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34°33′45″N 134°05′59″E / 34.56250°N 134.09972°E / 34.56250; 134.09972