Ishikari River

BW

The river Ishikari (Jap.石 狩 川, Ishikari -gawa ) is a river on Hokkaidō in Japan. Today he is 268 km long, making it the third longest river in Japan and the longest on Hokkaidō. It has 14,330 km ² watershed Japan 's second-largest.

The source of the river is located on the 1,967 -meter high mountain Ishikari. It then flows through Asahikawa and Sapporo. Important tributaries are the Chubetsu, Uryu, Sorachi and Toyohira.

Until about 40,000 years ago the river at Tomakomai culminated in the Pacific. Lava from the volcanic activity Shikotsu Mountains blocked the river so that it opens today in the Sea of ​​Japan.

The river's name is derived from a word of the Ainu, the " writhing flow " means. Once the river meandered in the Ishikari plain and was as long as the Shinano, the longest river in Japan today. Massive construction straightened the river and shortened it to 100 km, this remained in the plane numerous oxbow lakes (三 日月 湖; Mikazukiko, literally Crescent Lake ).