Ojima is a small asteroid, but a big topic. I have to care about finding an end. Ojima is asteroid #3565 and also known as 1986 YD. Ojima is in astronomy only a usual Main Belt Asteroid. Ojima was discovered by Niijima Tsuneo (新島 恒男) and Urata Takeshi (浦田 武).

As Ojima is only a transcription, so it could have many meanings. Ojima (小島) and Ojima (小嶋) both mean small island (the latter is a much smaller island than the former) and are also both Japanese family names. O(o)jima (大島) means big island and is the name of a railway station in the Japanese capital Tōkyō (東京). Ojima (尾島) means tail island and is a name of a town in the district Nitta (新田) in the prefecture Gunma (群馬) in the center of Japan. But this town doesn’t exist anymore. Ojima is also the name of a river in Quebec, Canada. The meaning and origin of the name of the river is unknown, but definitely not Japanese.

The Minor Planet Center knows: Known for the manufacture of Japanese dolls, Ojima is the home town of the first discoverer. It is close to the 1828-m volcano Akagi and the river Tone.

So Ojima means Ojima (尾島) and refers to Ojima-machi (尾島町), which was together with Nitta-machi (新田町) and Yabuzukahon-machi (藪塚本町), all located in Nitta-gun (新田郡) in Gunma-ken (群馬県), absorbed into Oota-shi (太田市), also transcribed as Ōta-shi. Machi (町) is a town, but shi (市) is a city. It is pure luck that Japanese shares this distinction with English, while most other languages don’t. Ojima (尾島) doesn’t exist anymore because of a bureaucratic restructuring. This cause is a harmless one and took place in 2005. Ojima was discovered in 1986 as its other name 1986 YD tells. The entry on Ojima in the JPL Small Body Browser was updated last in 2003. This means that Ojima (尾島) still existed when the asteroid was named. Although such a bureaucratic restructuring doesn’t happen overnight, the realization of such plans can’t be predicted. The asteroid #3565 was most likely not named Ojima because of the restructuring. Ojima (尾島) simply lent its name because it is the hometown of one of the discoverers.

There seems to be nothing else, which the Japanese would call tail island, besides this town. Japanese can count animals, including fish, in tails. This could mean that the area was once rich in animals before it was urbanized. So Ojima is really only a place name asteroid and hinting to Japan. Ojima caught my attention because my natal Ojima is conjunct my natal midheaven. That an asteroid, that hints to Japan, is conjunct my midheaven shouldn’t be a surprise.

Both discoverers of Ojima are interesting people and have asteroids named after them. Hence Urata (#3722) and Niijima (#5507), and also the asteroid #2090 named Mizuho after Urata Takeshi’s daughter, would be good to be considered for further research.

(edit: removed a typo)