Shiriyazaki

A cape located in the northeastern part of Aomori Prefecture, at the northeastern tip of the Shimokita Peninsula. It is also written as Shiriya or Shiriya, and is said to mean "a port with cliffs" in the Ainu language. The area is a 20-meter-high limestone sea platform, and there are many large and small boulders and reefs in the sea, creating a spectacular coastal beauty, and it is part of the Shimokita Peninsula Quasi-National Park. Since ancient times, it has been considered a difficult place to navigate due to the many reefs, and the Shiriyasaki Lighthouse was built at the tip of the cape in 1876 (Meiji 9). People used to fish for seaweed, abalone, and sea urchins along the coast, but recently many people have been mining limestone on Mt. Kuwabata behind the cape, or working in a cement factory. The plateau between the cape and Mt. Kuwabata has sand dunes covered with grass and pine forests, and is used as a pasture for cows and horses. The horses that graze here are called Kandachime.

[Hiroshi Yokoyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

青森県北東部、下北半島の北東端にある岬。尻矢、志利屋とも書き、アイヌ語の「絶壁のある港」の意という。一帯は石灰岩からなる高さ約20メートルの海食台が続き、海中には大小の岩塊や岩礁が多く、豪快な海岸美をみせ、下北半島国定公園域になっている。昔から暗礁が多く航海上の難所とされ、岬の突端には1876年（明治9）に尻屋埼灯台が置かれた。沿岸では海藻やアワビ、ウニなどの磯漁(いそりょう)が行われていたが、最近は背後の桑畑山の石灰岩の採掘やセメント工場で働く者が多い。岬と桑畑山間の台地には芝生や松林で覆われた砂丘があり、牛や馬の放牧場となっている。ここで放牧されている馬を寒立馬(かんだちめ)という。

［横山　弘］

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