is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

at the north end of the

Hidaka Mountains is a mountain range in southeastern Hokkaido, Japan. It runs from Mount Sahoro or Karikachi Pass in central Hokkaidō south, running into the sea at Cape Erimo. It consists of folded mountains that range from in height. Mount Poroshiri is ...

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, Japan. The pass traverses the mountains at and is long. The road is wide with a maximum grade of 5.3%. The minimum curve radius is . Snow is possible on the pass from October to May.

Japan National Route 38 is a national highway connecting Takikawa and Kushiro in Hokkaidō, Japan. Route data *Length: 298.4 km (185.5 mi) *Origin: Takikawa, Hokkaido (originates at junction with Routes 12 and 451) *Terminus: Kushiro, Hokkaido (ends at th ...

crosses the pass between

Minamifurano is a town located in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 2,611 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volu ...

and Shintoku. The name of the pass was derived from taking elements from both

Ishikari Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Ishikari Subprefecture minus Chitose and Eniwa, all of Sorachi Subprefecture and the southern half of Kamikawa Subprefecture excluding Shimukappu History After ...

as well as

Tokachi Province was a short-lived province in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Tokachi Subprefecture. History In 1820, the explorer Takeshiro Matsuura (松浦武四郎) proposed Tokachi as the name of the province. The province was named after the To ...

. Its history can be traced back to the

Edo period The or 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''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, when it was the first road to pass through the

References

Mountain passes of Japan {{Hokkaido-geo-stub