Engaru, Hokkaido

Coordinates: 44°4′N 143°32′E / 44.067°N 143.533°E / 44.067; 143.533
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Engaru
遠軽えんがる町まち
Town
The town view from Gambōiwa
The town view from Gambōiwa
Flag of Engaru
Flag
Official seal of Engaru
Emblem
Location of Engaru in Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture)
Location of Engaru in Hokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture)
Engaru is located in Japan
Engaru
Engaru
Location in Japan
Engaru is located in Hokkaido
Engaru
Engaru
Location in Hokkaido
Coordinates: 44°4′N 143°32′E / 44.067°N 143.533°E / 44.067; 143.533
CountryJapan
RegionHokkaido
PrefectureHokkaido (Okhotsk Subprefecture)
DistrictMombetsu
Area
 • Total1,332.32 km2 (514.41 sq mi)
Population
 (September 30, 2016)
 • Total20,757
 • Density16/km2 (40/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address1-1 1 Jō-Kita 3chōme, Engaru-chō, Hokkaido
099-0403
ClimateDfb
Websiteengaru.jp
Symbols
FlowerSunflower
TreeSargent's cherry

Engaru (遠軽えんがる町まち, Engaru-chō) 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][2]

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.[3] As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 20,757.[4] The total area is 1,332.32 square kilometres (514.41 sq mi),[5] making it the fifth largest municipality in Hokkaido.[6]

Engaru is known as the place where Aikido originated, in the Shirataki area.[7] 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[edit]

  • 1869: Current town area was part of the Wakayama Domain (or Kishū Domain) jurisdiction.[8] 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.[2][9]
  • 1897: On 7 May, the first immigrant party[2][8] 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.[2][8][9]
  • 1919: The village of Engaru is split off from Kamiyūbetsu (now the town of Yūbetsu).[8]
  • 1925: The village of Ikutahara split off, becoming its own town in 1934.[8]
  • 1934: Engaru becomes a town.[8]
  • 1946: The villages of Maruseppu (later becoming a town) and Shirataki are split off.[8]
  • 2005: The towns of Engaru, Ikutahara, Maruseppu, and the village of Shirataki merge to form the new town of Engaru.[3]

Notable geography[edit]

  • 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 (瞰望岩がん), 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[edit]

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[edit]

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

Climate data for Engaru, Hokkaido (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 9.8
(49.6) 		12.0
(53.6) 		20.0
(68.0) 		30.9
(87.6) 		37.7
(99.9) 		36.9
(98.4) 		36.4
(97.5) 		36.6
(97.9) 		33.3
(91.9) 		27.8
(82.0) 		22.8
(73.0) 		16.6
(61.9) 		37.7
(99.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −2.3
(27.9) 		−1.6
(29.1) 		3.0
(37.4) 		10.6
(51.1) 		17.3
(63.1) 		20.6
(69.1) 		24.2
(75.6) 		25.2
(77.4) 		21.7
(71.1) 		15.4
(59.7) 		7.5
(45.5) 		0.2
(32.4) 		11.8
(53.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −8.0
(17.6) 		−7.7
(18.1) 		−2.4
(27.7) 		4.6
(40.3) 		10.7
(51.3) 		14.6
(58.3) 		18.6
(65.5) 		19.7
(67.5) 		15.7
(60.3) 		9.0
(48.2) 		2.2
(36.0) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		6.0
(42.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −14.7
(5.5) 		−15.2
(4.6) 		−8.7
(16.3) 		−1.4
(29.5) 		4.4
(39.9) 		9.4
(48.9) 		14.0
(57.2) 		15.3
(59.5) 		10.4
(50.7) 		3.3
(37.9) 		−2.8
(27.0) 		−10.8
(12.6) 		0.3
(32.5)
Record low °C (°F) −29.2
(−20.6) 		−29.5
(−21.1) 		−26.2
(−15.2) 		−18.1
(−0.6) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		3.7
(38.7) 		5.6
(42.1) 		0.7
(33.3) 		−5.2
(22.6) 		−16.6
(2.1) 		−23.9
(−11.0) 		−29.5
(−21.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 53.4
(2.10) 		34.0
(1.34) 		34.6
(1.36) 		42.4
(1.67) 		56.1
(2.21) 		66.3
(2.61) 		109.3
(4.30) 		135.9
(5.35) 		123.1
(4.85) 		88.2
(3.47) 		55.0
(2.17) 		62.3
(2.45) 		870.6
(34.28)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 144
(57) 		119
(47) 		103
(41) 		26
(10) 		2
(0.8) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		25
(9.8) 		112
(44) 		531
(209)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.7 9.7 9.8 9.2 9.5 9.8 11.1 11.8 11.0 10.1 10.1 10.8 123.6
Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) 14.6 13.1 12.4 3.0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 2.6 11.9 57.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 85.1 102.2 141.6 165.4 174.7 156.9 150.0 142.9 155.2 148.0 111.3 89.7 1,626.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[10][11]

Gallery[edit]

  • Gambōiwa
    Gambōiwa
  • View from Gambōiwa
    View from Gambōiwa
  • Town area in front of Engaru Station
    Town area in front of Engaru Station
  • Preserved forest railway locomotive at Maruseppu
    Preserved forest railway locomotive at Maruseppu
  • Setose Spa
    Setose Spa
  • Ikutahara Spa "North King"
    Ikutahara Spa "North King"
  • Kita-Taisetsu ski area
    Kita-Taisetsu ski area
  • Hokkaido Prefectural Engaru High School
    Hokkaido Prefectural Engaru High School

Sister cities[edit]

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "瞰望岩がん（がんぼういわ）" Archived 2016-12-21 at the Wayback Machine Engaru Town Hall
  2. ^ a b c d "遠軽えんがる町まち百ひゃく年ねん史し" Engaru Town Hall, August 1998
  3. ^ a b "遠軽えんがる町まちの沿革えんかく" Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine Engaru Town Hall
  4. ^ "人口じんこう・世帯せたい・動態どうたい（平成へいせい２５年度ねんど）" Archived 2017-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Engaru Town Hall
  5. ^ "位置いち・面積めんせき" Archived 2019-04-27 at the Wayback Machine Engaru Town Hall
  6. ^ "全国ぜんこく都道府県とどうふけん市区しく町村ちょうそん別べつ面積めんせき調ちょう" Archived 2013-01-22 at the Wayback Machine Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, 2011
  7. ^ a b "合気道あいきどう開祖かいそ・植芝うえしば盛もり平ひら翁おう（Aikido Founder・Morihei Ueshiba）" Archived 2013-06-13 at the Wayback Machine Tanabe City Hall
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "旧きゅう遠軽えんがる町まちの沿革えんかく" Archived 2016-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Engaru Town Hall
  9. ^ a b "日本にっぽんキリスト教会きょうかい北海道ほっかいどう中ちゅう会かい遠軽えんがる教会きょうかい"　The Church of Christ in Japan
  10. ^ "平年へいねん値ち(年とし・月がつごとの値ね)". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  11. ^ "観測かんそく史上しじょう1〜10位いの値ね(年間ねんかんを通つうじての値ね)". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  12. ^ "安彦やすひこ良和よしかず－Writerprofile" 安彦やすひこ良和よしかず-WORLD
  13. ^ "ガンダム遠軽えんがる（だいち）に立たて!!～町まち職員しょくいんから広ひろがるまちづくり～ - 第だい34回かい兵庫ひょうご自治じち研けん集会しゅうかい 第だい８分科ぶんか会かい　都市とし（まち）と地方ちほうの再生さいせいとまちづくり" Archived 2013-08-18 at archive.today All-Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers Union, October 2012
  14. ^ "北海道ほっかいどうの遠軽えんがる町まちが「ガンダム」で街まちおこし" Hokkaido Shimbun, 23 June 2011
  15. ^ "田中たなか　雅美まさみプロフィール" Archived 2013-05-01 at archive.today Sankei, co.

External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Engaru.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Engaru, Hokkaido.
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