Profile
- City: Muroran
- Population: 101,143 (February, 2004)
- Natural Symbols:' Mountain Ash, Azalea, Coat Tit, Black Rockfish
Geography
Muroran is located in the southwestern Hokkaido, facing the eastern coast of the Oshima Peninsula and its part is on a small peninsula jutting out into the sea at the entrance of the Uchiura Bay, world-famous dolphin and whale watching points. The southeastern coast of the peninsula faces the Pacific Ocean, and its southwestern coast, which faces the Uchiura Bay, is formed of towering cliffs of about 100 m making a dike of volcano rock resisting the erosion of the sea.
Origin of Muroran
The origin of Muroran's name is derived from the Ainu word Mo Ruerani that means the bottom of a little slope. The little slope, in front of the former Senkai Temple in Sakimori-cho, is noted in connection with the name of Muroran.
In the late 16th century, the Muroran region came under the administration of the Matsumae Clan. Muroran was developed as a trading post between the Ainu and the Matsumae Clan people.
In 1892, the Port of Muroran was opened for the wooden bridge construction at Kaigan-cho (former Tokikaramoi); at the same time, the main road was began construction from Hakodate to Sapporo as the first step of Hokkaido Colonization Plan.
With the opening a ship route from Muroran to Mori and railroad extension to Iwamizawa, Muroranﾕs municipality was started on August 1, 1922 as the core of the major land and sea traffic in the pioneer era of Hokkaido. Since then, Muroran has been developing as an important transportation hub and a center of the steel industry.
Today, there are large cement factories, steel mills, oil refineries, and shipyards clustered around the port of Muroran.
Actors born in Muroran
Films shot in Muroran
