Earliest settlement Shinojima has been inhabited since at least the
Jōmon period. On Koisojima, archaeologists found ancient pottery dating back to the early Jomon period, roughly 9000 years ago. At Shimei Shrine, a shell mound was unearthed containing jomon pottery, notched deer antlers, and bone and antler tools. Archaeological layers containing pottery, stone tools, accessories and other items dating to the late Jomon, roughly 4000 years ago, have been found throughout the island. Archaeologists have also found
Yayoi period and
Kofun period remains.
Links with Ise Shrine Long associated with
Ise Shrine, the island is mentioned in the
Nara period ''
Man'yōshū'' poetry anthology. It has supplied salted and dried
sea bream to the shrine for use as offerings since before the Nara period. These offerings are made three times a year. The salted sea bream are first blessed in the Obendai Dedication Ceremony on Shinojima, before being transported to Ise City by fishing boat. Finally they are offered to the deity at the Gojoden in the Ise Shrine as part of a Shinto festival. Due to its connection with Ise Shrine, during these earlier periods, Shimojima belonged to the Shima Province (later Ise Province), despite its geographical distance. During the reconstruction of Ise Shrine every twenty years, one of the buildings from Ise Shrine is always dismantled and Ishipped to Shinojima, where it is re-erected as the
honden of the local Shimmei Jinja, founded in 771 AD.
Later periods During the
Edo period, it was part of the holdings of
Owari Domain under the
Tokugawa shogunate and contained a fishing settlement.
Kato Kiyomasa is said to have used granite quarried on Shinojima in the construction of
Nagoya Castle. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of the
Meiji period, the island was organized as a village within
Chita District, Aichi. It merged with surrounding towns and villages to form the town of Minamichita on June 1, 1961. == Fisheries ==