Engaru, Hokkaido

Updated on Oct 28, 2023

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Country Japan District Mombetsu Population 21,827 (Jul 2013) Local time Saturday 3:19 AM		Region Hokkaido Area 1,332 km² Flower Sunflowers

Prefecture Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) City hall address 1-1 1 Jō-Kita 3chōme, Engaru-chō, Hokkaido 099-0403 Weather -5°C, Wind W at 6 km/h, 77% Humidity

Engaru (遠軽町, Engaru-chō) is a town in the Monbetsu district of Okhotsk subprefecture in Hokkaido, Japan. The name comes from the Ainu place name inkar-us-i (lit. "overlook-always doing-place"), meaning a lookout point.

Map of Engaru, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan

On October 1, 2005, the towns of Ikutahara and Maruseppu, and the village of Shirataki, all from Monbetsu District merged into the expanded town of Engaru. As of July 2013, the town has an estimated population of 21,827. The total area is 1,332.32 square kilometres (514.41 sq mi), making it the fifth largest municipality in Hokkaido.

Engaru is known as the place where Aikido originated, in the Shirataki area. It is also where the largest cosmos flower park in Japan is located. An Upper Paleolithic site at Shirataki Site Group is the source of some Yubetsu technique stone blades dating from approximately 13,000 years ago.

History

1869: Current town area was part of the Wakayama Domain (or Kishū Domain) jurisdiction. There were expanses of plains.

1896: The Church of Christ in Japan established the Hokkaido Comrades Education Association, and planned a Christian university at Engaru.

1897: On 7 May, the first immigrant party of the Hokkaido Comrades Education Association arrived in Engaru, the first party to immigrate at Engaru. But the final construction of the university's plan did not materialize.

1919: The village of Engaru is split off from Kamiyūbetsu (now the town of Yūbetsu).

1925: The village of Ikutahara split off, becoming its own town in 1934.

1934: Engaru becomes a town.

1946: The villages of Maruseppu (later becoming a town) and Shirataki are split off.

2005: The towns of Engaru, Ikutahara, Maruseppu, and the village of Shirataki merge to form the new town of Engaru.

Notable geography

Mountains: Mt. Murii, 1,876 metres (6,155 ft); Mt. Hirayama, 1,771 metres (5,810 ft); Mt. Shiyūbetsu, 1,688 metres (5,538 ft); Mt. Chitokaniushi, 1,446 metres (4,744 ft); Mt. Kitami-Fuji, 1,306 metres (4,285 ft)

Major rivers: Yūbetsu River; Ikutahara River; Maruseppu River; Setose River; Shanafuchi River; Murii River

Waterfalls: Yamabiko no Taki, Rokumei no Taki, Jūsan no Taki, Shirataki

Others: Gambōiwa (瞰望岩), a rocky hill made of underwater lava of andesitic (hyaloclastite) which was spewn out from an underwater volcano in the Miocene Epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era (about 7 million years ago) with volcanic sandstone conglomerate. The top of the cliff is about 78 metres (256 ft) high.

Industry

The major industries are commercial forestry, wood processing, and agriculture.

In the past, Engaru Station was the intersection of the Nayoro Main Line (closed in 1989) and the Sekihoku Main Line. It had an important position in business and overall development.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Engaru has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers and very cold winters.

Sister cities

Bastos, São Paulo, Brazil

Moirans-en-Montagne, Jura, France

Notable people

Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969) the founder of Aikido, leading Kishū Settlers Group at Shirataki area from Tanabe

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (born 1947) animator, manga artist, and character designer of 1979-1980 TV series Mobile Suit Gundam

Tomonori Kogawa (born 1950) animator, and animation director of 1980 TV series Space Runaway Ideon

Masami Tanaka (born 1979) a former swimmer

References

Engaru, Hokkaido Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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