Engaru, Hokkaido

Engaru is a town in the Okhotsk subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan. The name comes from the Ainu place name Inkar-us-i, meaning a lookout point.
On October 1, 2005, the towns of Ikutahara and Maruseppu, and the village of Shirataki, all from Monbetsu District merged into the expanded town of Engaru. As of October 2025, the town has an estimated population of 17,619. The total area is, making it the fifth largest municipality in Hokkaido.
Engaru is known as the place where Aikido originated, in the Shirataki area. It is also where the largest cosmos flower park in Japan is located. An Upper Paleolithic site at Shirataki Site Group is the source of some Yubetsu technique stone blades dating from approximately 13,000 years ago.

History

1869: Current town area was part of the Wakayama Domain jurisdiction. There were expanses of plains.
1896: The Church of Christ in Japan established the Hokkaido Comrades Education Association, and planned a Christian university at Engaru.
1897: On 7 May, the first immigrant party of the Hokkaido Comrades Education Association arrived in Engaru, the first party to immigrate at Engaru. But the final construction of the university's plan did not materialize.
1919: The village of Engaru is split off from Kamiyūbetsu.
1925: The village of Ikutahara split off, becoming its own town in 1934.
1934: Engaru becomes a town.
1946: The villages of Maruseppu and Shirataki are split off.
2005: The towns of Engaru, Ikutahara, Maruseppu, and the village of Shirataki merge to form the new town of Engaru.

Mountains: Mt. Murii, ; Mt. Hirayama, ; Mt. Shiyūbetsu, ; Mt. Chitokaniushi, ; Mt. Kitami-Fuji,
Major rivers: Yūbetsu River; Ikutahara River; Maruseppu River; Setose River; Shanafuchi River; Murii River
Waterfalls: Yamabiko no Taki, Rokumei no Taki, Jūsan no Taki, Shirataki
Others: Gambōiwa, a rocky hill made of underwater lava of andesitic which was spewn out from an underwater volcano in the Miocene Epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era with volcanic sandstone conglomerate. The top of the cliff is about high.

The major industries are commercial forestry, wood processing, and agriculture.
In the past, Engaru Station was the intersection of the Nayoro Main Line and the Sekihoku Main Line. It had an important position in business and overall development.

According to the Köppen climate classification, Engaru has a humid continental climate with warm, rainy summers and extremely snowy, long, and cold winters.