The is a coastal region on the Pacific Ocean, extending from southern
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...
, through
Iwate Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...
and northern
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...
in northeastern
Honshū
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...
, which is Japan's main island. The name comes from the historical region of
Sanriku
, sometimes known as , lies on the northeastern side of the island of Honshu, corresponding to today's Aomori, Iwate and parts of Miyagi Prefecture and has a long history.
The 36 bays of this irregular coastline tend to amplify the destructivenes ...
(lit. "three ''riku''"), referring to the former provinces of
Rikuō,
Rikuchū and
Rikuzen
is an old province of Japan in the area of Miyagi Prefecture (excluding Igu, Katta District and Watari Districts) and parts of Iwate Prefecture (specifically Kesen District). Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Rikuzen''" in . It was some ...
.
Tourist destination
There are the Tanesashi Coast, the
Rikuchu Kaigan National Park and the Minami-Sanriku Kinkazan Quasi-National Park in the Sanriku Coast region.
Earthquakes and tsunami
![Sanriku Great Tsunami](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Sanriku_Great_Tsunami.JPG)
The bays of this
ria
A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea.
Definitions
Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...
coastline tend to amplify the destructiveness of tsunami waves.
Significant events which devastated coastal communities include:
*
869 Jogan Sanriku earthquake
__NOTOC__
Year 869 ( DCCCLXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Summer – Emperor Basil I allies with the Frankish emperor L ...
*
1611 Keicho Sanriku earthquake
*
1896 Meiji Sanriku earthquake
*
1933 Showa Sanriku earthquake
*
1960 Valdivia earthquake
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami ( es, link=no, Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake (''Gran terremoto de Chile'') on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Various studies have placed it at 9.4– ...
*
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
Prior to 2011, the tsunami history of Sanriku might have been interpreted as a story of progressively fewer casualties due to human intervention and planning. The 2011 disaster created a new baseline for analysis of regularly occurring tsunamis.
[Clancy, Gregory]
"Sanriku: Japan's 'Tsunami Coast',"
''The Telegraph'' (UK). March 14, 2011.
See also
*
Sanriku Railway
The is a railway company in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan. The company and its lines are also known as . The company was founded in 1981, as the first " third sector" (half public, half private) railway line in the country, excluding specia ...
*
Sanriku, Iwate
*
Tōhoku region
The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata.
Tōhoku retains a ...
*
Tōsandō
is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. It is part of the ''Gokishichidō'' system. It was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshu, specifically th ...
Notes
Regions of Japan
Geography of Aomori Prefecture
Geography of Iwate Prefecture
Geography of Miyagi Prefecture
Landforms of Aomori Prefecture
Landforms of Iwate Prefecture
Landforms of Miyagi Prefecture
Coasts of Japan
{{miyagi-geo-stub