Uchiura Bay

A bay in the southwest of Hokkaido, on the east side of the Oshima Peninsula. It is also called Funka Bay. It is a large circle about 50 km wide, connecting Cape Chikyu in Muroran City in the north to Sunazaki at the northern tip of Komagatake in the south. The bay coast is about 150 km long, and the inside of the bay is relatively steep for about 40 meters from the coast, the center is flat, and the water is 90 to 100 meters deep. Between Yakumo and Shizukari on the west coast is an almost straight sandy beach, with little flat land. Between Shizukari and Toyoura on the north coast, cliffs continue, forming the sea cliffs of Rebunge, and the road runs over a mountain pass and the railway runs through a tunnel. Uchiura Bay's other name, Funka Bay, was given this name by British captain Robert Broughton in 1796 (Kansei 8) after observing the distant smoke from Mount Komagatake and Mount Usu to the north and south of the bay. Offshore bottom trawl fishing for walleye pollock and flounder is carried out within the bay.

[Hideyoshi Segawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

北海道南西部、渡島(おしま)半島東側の海湾。噴火湾(ふんか)ともいう。幅約50キロメートルの一大円形をし、北は室蘭(むろらん)市の地球岬、南は駒ヶ岳(こまがたけ)北端の砂崎を結ぶ。湾岸はおよそ150キロメートル、湾内は海岸から40メートル内外まで比較的急傾斜で、中央部は平坦(へいたん)、水深は90～100メートル。西岸の八雲(やくも)―静狩(しずかり)間はほぼ直線の砂浜海岸で、平地は少ない。北岸の静狩―豊浦(とようら)間は断崖(だんがい)が続き、礼文華(れぶんげ)の海食崖をつくり、道路は峠越し、鉄道はトンネルで通じる。内浦湾の別名「噴火湾」は、1796年（寛政8）イギリス船長ロバート・ブロートンが、湾の南北に駒ヶ岳、有珠山(うすざん)の噴煙を遠望して命名したという。湾内ではスケトウダラ、カレイの沖合底引網漁業が行われる。

［瀬川秀良］

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