Teshio River

A large river that flows through the northern part of Hokkaido and empties into the Sea of ​​Japan. It is a first-class river. Its length has been significantly reduced by river channel improvements, but it is still 256 km long. It is the fourth longest river in Japan after the Shinano River, Tone River, and Ishikari River, with a drainage area of ​​5,590 square kilometers. It originates on the western slopes of Mount Teshio in the Kitami Mountains in central Hokkaido, flows north through the Nayoro Basin, turns west in Otoineppu Town, crosses the Teshio Mountains in a leading valley, turns north again in Nakagawa Town, enters the Teshio Plain and approaches the coast, but is blocked by a sandy beach levee and flows south along the coast for about 9 kilometers, before emptying into the Sea of ​​Japan near the town of Teshio Town. The Nayoro Basin in the upper reaches is the northernmost limit of rice cultivation and is used for power generation, irrigation, and urban water supply, while the lower reaches are primarily used for livestock farming, mainly dairy cattle. Salmon and trout farming is carried out near the mouth of the river, and attempts are being made to farm sturgeon in the midstream.

[Jiro Okamoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

北海道の北部を流れて日本海に注ぐ大河川。一級河川。河道改修で大幅に長さを減じたが延長256キロメートル。信濃(しなの)川、利根(とね)川、石狩(いしかり)川に次ぐ日本第四の長流で、流域面積は5590平方キロメートル。道央の北見山地(きたみさんち)の天塩岳などの西斜面に発し、名寄(なよろ)盆地を北流して音威子府(おといねっぷ)町で西流に転じ、天塩山地を先行谷で横切り、中川(なかがわ)町でふたたび向きを北に変え、天塩平野に出て海岸に近づくが、砂浜堤に妨げられて海岸に沿って約9キロメートル南下し、天塩町市街付近で日本海に注ぐ。上流域の名寄盆地は稲作の北限地で、発電、灌漑(かんがい)、都市用水に利用され、下流域では乳牛飼養の主畜経営が行われている。河口近くではサケ、マスの養殖事業が行われ、中流でチョウザメの養殖が試みられている。

［岡本次郎］

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