Etorofu Island

An island located 110 km northeast of Cape Nosappu, which is at the eastern end of the Nemuro Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido. It faces Kunashiri Island across the Kunashiri Channel to the southwest, and is connected to the Kuril Islands north of Uruppu Island across the Etorofu Strait to the northeast. It is 203 km long, 30 km wide at its widest point, and has an area of ​​3,182.65 square kilometers. There are many volcanoes, including Mt. Kamui (1,322 meters) at the northernmost tip, Mt. Kita-Chirippu (1,561 meters) in the central-northern part, Mt. Hitokappu (1,566 meters) in the western part, and Mt. Atosa (1,206 meters) to the west of that. The area is also rich in volcanic formations, including Moekeshi Bay in the southwest, a submerged caldera, and Mount Beltarbe (1,221 meters) at the southern end, a new conical volcano. There are many active volcanoes. The coastline is lined with sea cliffs and has few bends, but there are anchorages such as Shana and Hitoguri Bay. According to the Shana Weather Station before World War II, the monthly average temperature was -6.9°C in February and 15.5°C in August, the annual average temperature was 4.2°C, and the annual precipitation was about 1,000 mm. The winter monsoon is extremely strong, and there are many days of thick fog in summer. The surface of the land is covered with Yezo spruce, Todo fir, birch, and Mizunara oak, and the undergrowth is covered with bamboo grass. Fish caught include salmon, cod, flounder, and king crab.

In 1786 (Tenmei 6), Mogami Tokunai explored the area, and in 1798 (Kansei 10), Kondo Juzo explored the area and erected a signpost reading "Great Japanese Etoro Prefecture." The following year, Takadaya Kahei opened a sea route, but there were few permanent residents. Before World War II, the area consisted of three counties and three villages: Rubetsu Village, Etorofu County, Shana Village, and Shibetoro Village, Shibetoro County, all under the jurisdiction of the Nemuro Subprefecture (now the Nemuro Subprefecture), and these still exist in name only today. Before the war, fishing ports such as Shana were bustling as a base for North Pacific fishing, and the population reached 3,729 (1942). Tanagari Bay is known as the assembly point for Japanese naval vessels in the attack on Hawaii (November 1941). It is one of Japan's so-called "Northern Territories," but after the war it was controlled by the Soviet Union, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union it was controlled by the Russian Federation. It belongs to Sakhalin Oblast, and is called Iturup Island (Iturup), and Sha-na is called Kurilsk.

[Kazuo Watanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

北海道東部、根室半島東端にある納沙布(のさっぷ)岬の北東110キロメートルにある島。南西は国後(くなしり)水道を隔てて国後島に臨み、北東は択捉海峡を隔てて得撫(ウルップ)島以北の千島列島に連なる。長さ203キロメートル、最大幅30キロメートル、面積3182.65平方キロメートル。火山が多く、最北端に神威(かむい)岳（1322メートル）、中北部に北散布(ちりっぷ)山（1561メートル）、西部に単冠(ひとかっぷ)山（1566メートル）、その西に阿登佐(あとさ)岳（1206メートル）などがある。また南西部の萌消(もえけし)湾は沈水カルデラ、南端のベルタルベ山（1221メートル）は新しい円錐(えんすい)火山であるなど、火山地形の宝庫で、活火山も多い。海岸線は海食崖(がい)が続き、屈曲は少ないが、紗那(しゃな)、単冠湾などの錨地(びょうち)がある。第二次世界大戦前の紗那測候所によれば、月平均気温は2月零下6.9℃、8月15.5℃、年平均気温は4.2℃で、年降水量は約1000ミリメートル。冬の季節風はきわめて強く、夏には濃霧の日が多い。地表はエゾマツ、トドマツ、カンバ類、ミズナラ類、下生えはササが覆っている。サケ、タラ、カレイ、タラバガニなどの漁獲がある。

　1786年（天明6）最上徳内(もがみとくない)が探検、1798年（寛政10）近藤重蔵(じゅうぞう)が探検して「大日本恵登呂府」の標柱を立てた。翌年、高田屋嘉兵衛が航路を開いたが、定住者は少なかった。第二次世界大戦前は根室支庁（現、根室振興局）管内の択捉郡留別村(るべつむら)、紗那郡紗那村、蘂取(しべとろ)郡蘂取村の3郡3村からなり、現在も形式上は存続する。戦前は北洋漁業の基地として紗那などの漁港がにぎわい、人口3729（1942）に達した。単冠湾は、ハワイ攻撃の日本海軍艦艇(かんてい)の集結地（1941年11月）として知られる。日本のいわゆる「北方領土」の一つであるが、戦後はソ連、ソ連解体後はロシア連邦が支配し、サハリン州の所属で、イトルプ島Итурупとよび、紗那をクリリスクと称している。

［渡辺一夫］

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