is a city in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the most populous city and the commercial center in the subprefecture, although the subprefecture capital is Abashiri.
Kitami is physically in the middle of Okhotsk Subprefecture. The Kitami Mountains are nearby and are the main reason behind the city's name. The city is the result of the merger of Kitami, Tanno, Tokoro and Rubeshibe towns in 2006 administrative reform. Kitami developed mainly in commerce and industry/service industries, Tanno in agriculture, Tokoro in fishery and agriculture, and Rubeshibe in forestry and tourism on hot springs.
Due to the characteristics of the region, Kitami has the highest onion and white flower bean production in Japan. Scallop fishing also flourishes, which makes it the "birthplace of scallop farming" in the country. In addition, the region is home to historical and tourist places like the Pearson Museum, Wakka Wild Flower Garden, and Tokoro Ruins, which are listed as "Hokkaido Heritage" sites.
As of July 31, 2023, the city had a population of 112,185, citizens in 61,793 households. The population density is . The total area is .
Etymology
The name came as a suggestion of the Japanese explorer and cartographer Matsuura Takeshirō during the Meiji Era, when imperial bureaucrats were registering the place for initiating the region's development through the Hokkaidō Development Commission. Before the imperial intervention, there was no Ainu name for the region.
The meaning of the name consists of the kanji's combinations of characters 北 (North) 見 (See) and 市 (City), which means "City of the North View". The reason behind this meaning is due to the region's mountains, which allow the view of the sea and the russian island of Sakhalin.
Originally, the name refers to a vast area between the mountains and the Sea of Okhotsk. Since the merger of Kitami City with the surrounding Tokoro, Rubeshibe and Tanno towns in 2006, it is often referred to as the area around the Kitami Basin, the so-called Kitami Inland Area, excluding the former Tokoro Town area in the coastal area.
Chronology
The Edo period
The Edo period is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo. During this period, there is no registration of continuous human settlement in this place. The nearest populations were composed of Ainu Tribes. Nowadays, one of their old settlements has become the Tokoro Ruins. The history began to appear in the final years of the Edo period, as a result of the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin War.
1856: Japanese explorer Matsuura Takeshirō passed over the region for the first time on the Tokoro River.
Meiji Era
The Meiji era is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. In this period, the Boshin War was over and the short-lived Ezo Republic was conquered by the Japanese Imperial Army. Due to the risk of having new revolts in the border of the empire and the constant expansion of the Russian Empire at the north, the imperial bureau started the mass colonisation of the region and the "Japanization" of the natives through forced assimilation and segregation.
1869 (Meiji 2): The Meiji government renames Ezo as "Hokkaido" and creates the Hokkaidō Development Commission. 1872 (Meiji 5): The village of is founded, starting the process of settle in the region. 1882 (Meiji 15): Hokkaidō Development Commission is abolished, and the first three prefectures are established in Hokkaido. This area belonged to Nemuro prefecture, one of those firstly created. 1897 (Meiji 30): 112 immigrants arrives and settle, which led to the substantial growth of the region. 1899 (Meiji 32): Is produced the first mint in the region. 1904 (Meiji 37): Rice cultivation begins. 1910 (Meiji 43): Train service arrives (then called the Ikeda Railway Line), connecting the village to Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido.