A historic site along the Shikine main road. According to the explanation, when Shikinejima was first settled, people lived by drinking water from the kamaba at Ashitsuki Coast. After this well was completed, the island developed rapidly and prospered with this well at its center. Because the path leading down, made when the well was dug, was spiral-shaped, it came to be called the "Maimaizu" (snail) well. Today, Shikinejima seems to have well-developed infrastructure, including an undersea water supply from Niijima.

At first I thought it was just a well, but after seeing a notice at my inn saying "The island's water is supplied via an undersea pipeline from Niijima," I understood how precious this was. Apparently, thanks to this well, the surrounding area became the island's busiest district (?).

A well with an unusual structure: the ground was dug out into a mortar-shaped bowl, and then a well was dug vertically from there. A spiral path is carved down to the bottom of the bowl, and because its shape resembles the shell of a maimai (snail), it got this name. Reading the explanation on the stone monument, I learned that this well was tremendously precious. Settlement of Shikinejima began in Meiji 21 (1888), but the settlers lived a hard life relying on water from the kamaba at Ashitsuki Coast. So they took on the construction of this maimaizu well, completing it after 3 years of work in Meiji 25 (1892). With clean drinking water secured, daily life and the industrial economy improved rapidly, and a settlement formed around the well. In a sense, this well is the source of Shikinejima's development. Drinking water is now provided by an undersea supply from Niijima and a water system using desalination-exchange equipment, but water remains precious in island life. Incidentally, if the Japanese-calendar years on the monument are correct, the Western-calendar years are written 2 years off.

The remains of a well dug by the pioneers to obtain fresh water. It makes you reflect on the hardships of those days. A historic site that lets you feel the history of Shikinejima.

It was covered with a lid. It's surprisingly deep down.