Engaru, Hokkaido Explained
| Engaru |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Seal Type: | Emblem |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan#Japan Hokkaido |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan##Location in Hokkaido |
| Coordinates: | 44.0667°N 175°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Hokkaido |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture) |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Mombetsu |
| Extinct Title: | Now part of |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 1,332.32 |
| Population Total: | 20,757 |
| Population As Of: | September 30, 2016 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | JST |
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 1-1 1 Jō-Kita 3chōme, Engaru-chō, Hokkaido
099-0403 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate |
| Blank Info Sec2: | Dfb |
| Module: | |
is a town in the Okhotsk subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan. The name comes from the Ainu place name Inkar-us-i ("overlook-always doing-place"), meaning a lookout point.[1]
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.[2] As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 20,757.[3] The total area is 1332.32km2,[4] making it the fifth largest municipality in Hokkaido.[5]
Engaru is known as the place where Aikido originated, in the Shirataki area.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] [9]
- 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, 1876m (6,155feet); Mt. Hirayama, 1771m (5,810feet); Mt. Shiyūbetsu, 1688m (5,538feet); Mt. Chitokaniushi, 1446m (4,744feet); Mt. Kitami-Fuji, 1306m (4,285feet)
- 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:, 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 78m (256feet) 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, rainy summers and extremely snowy, long, and cold winters.
Sister cities
Notable people
See also
External links
Notes and References
- http://engaru.jp/asobu-manabu/21kyoutsu/kankousisetu/sizen/ganbouiwa/ganbouiwa.html "瞰望岩（がんぼういわ）"
- http://engaru.jp/engaru/03kikaku/town_info/enkaku.html "遠軽町の沿革"
- http://engaru.jp/engaru/07juminseikatu/jinkou/H25.html "人口・世帯・動態（平成２５年度）"
- http://engaru.jp/engaru/03kikaku/town_info/ichi_menseki.html "位置・面積"
- http://www.gsi.go.jp/hokkaido/databox-menseki-menseki.htm "全国都道府県市区町村別面積調"
- http://www.city.tanabe.lg.jp/sports/morihei_UESHIBA.html "合気道開祖・植芝盛平翁（Aikido Founder・Morihei Ueshiba）"
- http://engaru.jp/engaru/03kikaku/town_info/enkaku_engaru.html "旧遠軽町の沿革"
- "遠軽町百年史" Engaru Town Hall, August 1998
- http://nikki-hokkaido.net/kyoukaisyoukai/engal.html "日本キリスト教会北海道中会遠軽教会"
- http://yas-w.sakura.ne.jp/Writerprofile.html "安彦良和－Writerprofile"
- http://www.jichiro.gr.jp/jichiken/report/rep_hyogo34/08/0804_jre/index.htm "ガンダム遠軽（だいち）に立て!!～町職員から広がるまちづくり～ - 第34回兵庫自治研集会 第８分科会 都市（まち）と地方の再生とまちづくり"
- "北海道の遠軽町が「ガンダム」で街おこし" Hokkaido Shimbun, 23 June 2011
- http://www.sankeipro.co.jp/MasamiTanaka.html "田中 雅美プロフィール"
