Tsutashima, Desert island in Ōita, Japan

Tsutashima is an uninhabited island in Ōita Prefecture, lying in Utsuke Bay off the Saganoseki Peninsula. Its highest point is 64.4 m, marked by a third-order triangulation station, and the island covers 0.04 km². Most of its shoreline consists of 20–40 m sea cliffs of crystalline schist, with small sandy beaches to the north and south and a coastal terrace in the centre.

The name Tsutashima comes from the ivy (tsuta) that once covered the island; it also appears as Tsutasu and Rashu, and was called Mae-no-shima. It is recorded in the Edo-period gazetteers Taikan Naishi and Bungo Kokushi, and Furukawa Kosanken's Saiyu Zakki notes small shells washed ashore there as a local product. On 18 November 2025 a large fire in Saganoseki on the opposite shore spread across the water to the island.

The name Tsutashima comes from the ivy (tsuta) said to have covered the island, and it also appears in old records as Tsutasu or Rashu, or simply as "the front island". The Edo-period texts Dazaifu Kannaishi and Bungo Kokushi describe it, and Furukawa Koshōken's Saiyū Zakki notes that small shells of many kinds wash ashore there and were a local product.

There is no harbour, pier or ferry service on Tsutashima, so access is only by private boat from the Saganoseki side, roughly opposite the Kōnoura fishing port and Shirahama beach. The island has no facilities or marked paths; the 20–40 m cliffs of crystalline schist and the two small beaches on the north and south ends are the main landing points. The summit, 64.4 m with a third-order triangulation point, is reached by walking up the coastal terrace in the centre.

The name Tsutashima comes from the ivy (tsuta) that once covered the island; it was also written 蔦洲 or 蘿洲 and called Mae-no-shima. The highest point, 64.4 m, carries a third-order triangulation point, and the island's area is 0.04 km².