Tokachi River

Coordinates: 42°41′42″N 143°39′58″E / 42.6950°N 143.6661°E / 42.6950; 143.6661
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tokachi River
Tokachi-gawa, Tokapci
Iwamatsu Dam in Shimizu (September 2007)
Map
Tokachi River is located in Japan
Tokachi River
Native name
Location
CountryJapan
StateHokkaidō
RegionTokachi
DistrictKamikawa, Nakagawa
MunicipalitiesShintoku, Toyokoro
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationShintoku, Hokkaidō, Japan
MouthPacific Ocean
 • location
Toyokoro, Hokkaidō, Japan
 • coordinates
42°41′42″N 143°39′58″E / 42.6950°N 143.6661°E / 42.6950; 143.6661
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length156 km (97 mi)[1]
Basin size9,010 km2 (3,480 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • average71 m3/s (2,500 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Population340,000[1]

Tokachi River (十勝川, Tokachi-gawa) is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan.

Etymology[edit]

In 1820, the explorer Takeshiro Matsuura (松浦 武四郎) proposed "Tokachi" as the name of the surrounding Tokachi Province, with each character corresponding to a Japanese homophone. The province was named after this river, which in turn was derived from the Ainu language word "tokapci" (トカㇷ゚チ).

Although the exact origins of "tokapci" were unknown, Hidezo Yamada, an Ainu language researcher, proposed these origins:

  • tokap-usi ("breast, somewhere")
  • toka-o-pci ("swamp, around a place, either")

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c 日本の川 - 北海道 - 十勝川 [Rivers of Japan - Hokkaidō - Tokachi River] (in Japanese). Water Management and Land Conservation Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.