Yolcîino Oshima, Idzu. 5 



The island was inhabited as early as in the prehistoric stone 

 age by a pv'oplo belonging to an unknown race whose remains 

 are now found under a lava flow exposed on the precipitous cliff 

 about 0.8 km. to the south of the village of Noniaslii' (Ic). It is 

 not known when the island became inhabited by the Japanese, 

 but lùstory ^-hews that it was a place of banishment from about 

 the 7th century till the end of the 18th. 



At present, the population of about 7400''' is distributed in 

 six Villages — Motomura (Ic), Nomashi (Ic), Okata (2a), Sendzu 

 (3a), Sashikiji (2e), and Habu (3e).''-' In the island peculiar cus- 

 toms are found in coiffures, dress, and the general mode of living, 

 -especially of the women. 



Previous Work. 



A 



Oshima Las been celebrated in many respects fi'om early times 

 and studied by not a few wdiose works have been made use of 

 largely. 



The first geologist to visit Oshima (twice in 1877) was 

 Edmund Naumann'^ With him were Tsuxashieo Wada'^ and John 

 Milne''\ Tlio main ol)ject of tlieir visit w^as to see the actual 

 state of the volcanic eruption whieh had lasted from December 

 1876 to February 1877, at which time they also made a general 

 geologic survey of the island. __ 



According to Naumann, who also gave a brief petrography 



1) SJfif 



2) The popialation of the island was 735« according to the statistics in 1918. 



i) " Die Vnk-aninsel Ooshima und ihre j'ingste Eruption." Zntsdirift der Deutschen geolog- 

 ischen GeseUsch'ifl, Bd. XXIX., S. 36i, 1877. 



Naümaxn's opinion was reviewed in the fallowing works by W.\d\ a-id Milxk : — 



5) "Notes on the Volcano Ôsliima," Gakugei Sfdrin, Vol. L, No. 1, 1877 (in Japanese). 



C) "The Volcanoes of Japan," Traaywtions of the Seismological So'-iety of Japr», Vul. IX., 

 rarl. II, 1883; Geological Magiziae, Decade II. Vol. I„ No. 5, 1887. 



