According to the
creation myth in
Shinto, Awaji was the first of the
ōyashima islands born from the
kami Izanagi and
Izanami. Awaji constituted a province between the 7th and the 19th century,
Awaji Province, and was a part of
Nankaidō. Today the island consists of three municipalities:
Awaji,
Sumoto, and
Minamiawaji.
Awaji Ningyō Jōruri, a form of traditional
puppet theater over 500 years old, is performed daily in the or "Awaji Puppet Museum" in Minamiawaji, located in the southern part of the island. It is designated an
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Japan. The Awaji puppets perform popular traditional dramas but have their origins in religious rituals. Starting in the 1830s, the local potter Minpei started producing what would come to be known as
Awaji ware, a type of Japanese pottery also known as Minpei ware. Architect
Tadao Ando has designed several structures on the island, including and the
Awaji Yumebutai complex, both located in Awaji City. In 1995, Awaji Island was the epicenter of the
Great Hanshin Earthquake, which killed over 5,500 people. The earthquake caused enormous damage around the northern part of the island, which experienced severe seismic waves of
JMA intensity 7. The earthquake was due to the
Nojima Fault, located near the epicenter, which was designated a national natural monument in 1998. In 2022, it was designated a
IUGS geological heritage site. ==Municipalities==