Shunkan (1143-1179) joined the 1177 Shishigatani Conspiracy against the Taira and was exiled to Kikai-ga-shima (Satsuma Iwo Jima). When his two companions were pardoned, only Shunkan was left behind — one of Japan's most famous tragedies, dramatized in Noh and Kabuki.

Satsuma Iwo Jima in Mishima Village, Kagoshima Prefecture, is the most likely identification of "Kikai-ga-shima" — the volcanic island where [Shunkan](/learn/article-ruzai-shunkan), Taira Yasuyori, and Fujiwara Naritsune were exiled in 1177 after the Shishigatani Conspiracy. Active volcano, sulfur fumes, and isolation made it the embodiment of "demon's realm." Source of the famous Noh play and kabuki drama "Shunkan."

The Amami Islands in southern Kagoshima Prefecture, since the 1609 Satsuma invasion of Ryukyu, developed a unique culture as both a sugarcane economy and a political exile site. [Saigo Takamori](/character/saigo) spent 3 years on Amami Oshima (1859-62) and 2 years on Okinoerabu (1862-64), forming the philosophy that would lead the Meiji Restoration.