Kyoshi Island

Kyoshi Island is a small island located in the South Sea off the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom, dotted with many small villages. Predominantly a fishing port, Kyoshi Island is a favorite stopping point for traders and travelers. It is well-known as the birthplace of Avatar Kyoshi and is also the home of the female elite Kyoshi Warriors.

The island was created when Chin the Conqueror threatened to take control of it and ordered Kyoshi to step down immediately. Avatar Kyoshi separated Kyoshi Peninsula from the Earth Kingdom mainland to keep her people safe from future threats.

The island is characterized by its seclusion and temperate climate.

History


As one of the islands off the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom, Kyoshi Island was founded in the South Sea by Avatar Kyoshi to protect her people from invaders. It has a shrine, formerly a temple, dedicated to Kyoshi that contains her relics, including her kimono, metal fans, metal headdress, and her boots. Supposedly, these relics still embody some of Kyoshi's spirit. In the nearby sea, there are elephant koi, which serve as the island's main source of commerce, and a giant eel known as the unagi. The island is known as the home of the Kyoshi Warriors, who fight with metal fans in the same technique as the island's namesake Avatar, and have a fighting style that emulates the waterbender's philosophy of using the opponents' force against them.



During the time of Avatar Kyoshi, a warlord known as Chin the Great was enveloping the entire Earth Kingdom in his armies and ruthless dictatorship. Avatar Kyoshi managed to keep her people safe from invasion by using a combination of different bending techniques to separate their peninsula from the mainland and form an island. This left a cliff at Chin's feet, where he fell to his death as the rock beneath him collapsed. This day is known as "Kyoshi Day" on Kyoshi Island and celebrates the day of its founding.

Kyoshi Island managed to stay out of the Fire Nation's war for nearly a century — until Zuko attacked it looking for the Avatar, Aang. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the island had no intention of inviting unwanted attention, and as a result were often hostile towards outsiders, fearing Fire Nation spies. However, inspired by the Avatar Aang's arrival on the island, the citizens gained new hope and adopted a more welcoming attitude since then. Additionally, the Kyoshi Warriors recently left to join the War effort in hopes of making a difference.

The War ended in victory for the Earth Kingdom, so most of the Kyoshi Warriors presumably returned home. Their newest member, Ty Lee, most likely continued her training on the island.

Government
The exact subsidiary relation of Kyoshi Island to the imperial government was not explored or even mentioned. It is not known how the villages of the Island organize themselves. The village that was visited by Team Avatar was led by Oyaji, who served as a local judge and a sort of overseer of the Kyoshi Warriors, who themselves were led more directly by Suki.

Culture


The inhabitants of Kyoshi Island have a less refined culture than those of other Earth Kingdom settlements, such as Ba Sing Se, which has a very strict culture, due to their isolation. Their homes have are made of wood, and have steeply pitched thatched roofs to prevent the accumulation of snow. Unlike most other Earth Kingdom locations, the inhabitants of Kyoshi Island wear primarily blue clothing. The architecture and clothing found on Kyoshi Island seem to be strongly influenced by Japanese culture.

Customs
The Kyoshi Warriors are several all-female groups of fighters that are fiercely protective of the island and its people, with the most notable group led by Suki. While each village has its own forms and traditions, their fighting style and clothing generally mimic those of Avatar Kyoshi, although they seemingly do not implement any of the bending arts in their physical movements. The female warriors do not take kindly to training outsiders, let alone men, in these unique methods. Houses on Kyoshi Island have high-pitched roofs to keep snow from collecting on them.

Foods


Due to its isolation, the islanders grow and catch most of their own food. Rice forms the staple of the Kyoshi island diet, and, due to its island location, fish plays an important part as well. In the market of Suki's village, cucumbers, eggplant, wild nuts, taro root, apples, scallions, and daikon radishes were available. When Team Avatar minus Aang, who was in jail, returned to the island in search of clues on Kyoshi Day, Oyaji was shown eating various kinds of sushi.

They also had an assortment of desserts. They varied from cakes to icing covered pastries. The citizens of Kyoshi must have had wheat fields and sugar canes to make such sweets. These were seen when Aang and Katara were served them for breakfast.

Cultural festivals
Kyoshi Day is the most important holiday on the island, celebrating its independence from Chin the Great. A famous mural of Kyoshi at sunset was painted on the first Kyoshi Day and now resides in a shrine to the Avatar on the island. Kyoshi Day coincides with Avatar Day.

Fauna

 * Elephant koi
 * Unagi

Notable figures

 * Avatar Kyoshi
 * Koko (Kyoshi's daughter)
 * Chief Oyaji
 * Suki
 * Kyoshi Warriors
 * Koko
 * Foaming mouth guy

Trivia

 * Kyoshi Island may be based on Japan, as it appears to be an archipelago separated from the large main continent, the warriors also wear armor similar to ancient Japanese armor, along with face paint similar to the face paint used in Japanese Kabuki. Furthermore, their food is based on traditional Japanese food, and they have Japanese-sounding names, such as Suki and Oyaji, and use Japanese terms like kimono.
 * The residents of Kyoshi Island wear clothing colored blue, instead of the traditional green worn by Earth Kingdom citizens. However it is possible that they may trade with the Southern Water Tribe in return for clothes.
 * Furthermore, the creation of Kyoshi as a way to escape Chin the Conqueror is similar to an enduring legend of the establishment of the Japanese islands, where a vassal of the despotic Qin Shi Huangdi fled mainland China with thousands of others to Japan under the cover story of attempting to find the secret of immortality for the Emperor.
 * Kyoshi's separation of the island from the mainland and the people's seclusion, separate culture, and neutrality in regards to the war may allude to the fact that Kyoshi Island is not governed or controlled by the Earth King and that Kyoshi declared her land as her own territory.
 * Kyoshi Island is the only known landmass in the series which was created through man-made means, as Kyoshi forcibly separated it from the mainland by only using her bending skills.