“My journey to the northern isolated island has finally come to an end.” — (Photographer Atsushi Okada)
— Located off the coast of the Nemuro Peninsula, Japan’s easternmost mainland point, Yururi Island is an uninhabited island with a circumference of 8 kilometers. The island’s history as a restricted, horse-only uninhabited island is deeply intertwined with Hokkaido’s past, from its pioneer days through the great war to the present. — (Excerpt from the text)
For over half a century since humans ceased to live there, this “phantom island” inhabited solely by horses has been captured by photographer Atsushi Okada over more than a decade, documenting the vanishing lives and landscapes in this photo collection.
In 1950, people brought horses to Yururi Island in search of kelp fishing grounds. Over two decades later, in 1971, the last residents left, and Yururi became an uninhabited island once again. In 2006, as former islanders aged and horse management became challenging, stallions were removed from the island, sealing the fate of the horse population to gradually die out. When Okada first visited the island in the summer of 2011, he counted 12 horses, but their numbers dwindled over time, leaving only 2 by 2024.
