is a town in the Okhotsk subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan. The name comes from the Ainu place name Inkar-us-i ("overlook-always doing-place"), meaning a lookout point."瞰望岩（がんぼういわ）" Engaru Town Hall
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."遠軽町の沿革" Engaru Town Hall As of October 2025, the town has an estimated population of 17,619."人口（令和7年度）" Engaru Town Hall The total area is ,"位置・面積" Engaru Town Hall making it the fifth largest municipality in Hokkaido."全国都道府県市区町村別面積調" Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, 2011
Engaru is known as the place where Aikido originated, in the Shirataki area."合気道開祖・植芝盛平翁（Aikido Founder・Morihei Ueshiba）" Tanabe City Hall 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 (or Kishū Domain) jurisdiction."旧遠軽町の沿革" Engaru Town Hall 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."遠軽町百年史" Engaru Town Hall, August 1998"日本キリスト教会北海道中会遠軽教会" The Church of Christ in Japan 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 (now the town of Yūbetsu). 1925: The village of Ikutahara split off, becoming its own town in 1934. 1934: Engaru becomes a town. 1946: The villages of Maruseppu (later becoming a town) 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.
Notable geography 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: , a rocky hill made of underwater lava of andesitic (hyaloclastite) which was spewn out from an underwater volcano in the Miocene Epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era (about 7 million years ago) with volcanic sandstone conglomerate. The top of the cliff is about high.
Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Engaru has declined steadily in recent decades.
Economy
Industry The major industries are commercial forestry, wood processing, and agriculture.
In the past, Engaru Station was the intersection of the Nayoro Main Line (closed in 1989) and the Sekihoku Main Line. It had an important position in business and overall development.
Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, Engaru has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm, rainy summers and extremely snowy, long, and cold winters.
Gallery
Sister cities Bastos, São Paulo, Brazil Moirans-en-Montagne, Jura, France
Notable people Tomonori Kogawa (born 1950) animator, and animation director of 1980 TV series Space Runaway Ideon"北海道の遠軽町が「ガンダム」で街おこし" Hokkaido Shimbun, 23 June 2011 Masami Tanaka (born 1979) a former swimmer"田中 雅美プロフィール" Sankei, co. Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969) the founder of Aikido, leading Kishū Settlers Group at Shirataki area from Tanabe Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (born 1947) animator, manga artist, and character designer of 1979-1980 TV series Mobile Suit Gundam"安彦良和－Writerprofile" 安彦良和-WORLD"ガンダム遠軽（だいち）に立て!!～町職員から広がるまちづくり～ - 第34回兵庫自治研集会 第8分科会 都市（まち）と地方の再生とまちづくり" All-Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers Union, October 2012
See also Engaru Shimbun - the regional newspaper
References
External links
Official Website Taiyo-no-Oka Engaru Park Official Website