Iki Island Onsen

Iki Island Onsen is located on Iki Island (Ikishima) in Nagasaki Prefecture, an island in the Korea Strait with a remarkable place in Japanese mythological geography — the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki creation myths identify Iki as one of the 'island children' born from the union of the creator deities Izanagi and Izanami, making it one of the primordial islands of the Japanese archipelago according to Shinto cosmology. The island also played a pivotal role in the Mongol invasions of Japan (1274 and 1281), suffering devastating attacks during both invasion fleets' advance toward Kyushu, events commemorated in local shrines and historical sites. Today Iki is known for its traditional culture, distinctive local sake production, quality beef cattle, and the famous Iki horses — small, hardy indigenous ponies that have been bred on the island since ancient times and represent one of Japan's most genetically distinct horse breeds. The onsen here provide silica-rich mineral bathing in an island setting of mythology, medieval history, and living traditional culture.