Chitose River
| Chitose River 千歳川 | |
|---|---|
View from the southern bank on Chūō Grand Avenue in Chitose, Japan (May 2004) | |
| Native name | Chitose-gawa (Japanese) |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| State | Hokkaidō |
| Region | Ishikari Subprefecture, Sorachi Subprefecture |
| District | Sorachi District, Kabato District |
| Municipalities | Nanporo, Chitose, Ebetsu, Kitahiroshima, Eniwa, Naganuma |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Shikotsu |
| • location | Chitose, Hokkaidō, Japan |
| • coordinates | 42°46′16″N 141°24′11″E / 42.77111°N 141.40306°E |
| • elevation | 248 m (814 ft) |
| Mouth | Ishikari River |
• location | Ebetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan |
• coordinates | 43°07′05″N 141°33′24″E / 43.11806°N 141.55667°E |
• elevation | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Length | 108 km (67 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,244 km2 (480 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Horomuiunga (幌向運河, Horomuiunga), Kyūyūbari River (旧夕張川, Kyūyūbari-gawa), South Number 6 River (南六号川, Minami-Roku-Gou-gawa), Kenefuchi River (嶮淵川, Kenefuchi-gawa), University Drainage (大学排水, Daigaku Haisu), Shukubai River (祝梅川, Shukubai-gawa), Mamachi River |
| • right | Sanaebetsu River (早苗別川, Sanaebetsu-gawa), Sanaebetsu River Canal, Tomasubetsu River (登満別川, Tomasubetsu-gawa), Shimonbetsu River (志文別川, Shimonbetsu-gawa), Ura No Sawa River (裏no沢川, Ura no Sawa-gawa), Wattsu River (輪厚川, Wattsu-gawa), Shimamatsu River (島松川, Shimamatsu-gawa), Izari River (漁川, Izari-gawa), Osatsu River (長都川, Osatsu-gawa), Naibetsu River (内別川, Naibetsu-gawa), Yuunai River, Monbetsu River (紋別川, Mombetsu-gawa) |
Chitose River (千歳川, Chitose-gawa) is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan. The river is a class A river. In the city of Ebetsu, the river is sometimes known as Ebetsu River (江別川, Ebetsu-gawa).
In the Ainu language Chitose was originally called shikot, meaning big depression or hollow, like Lake Shikotsu a caldera lake. To the Japanese, this sounded too much like dead bones (死骨, shikotsu), so it was changed to Chitose. The name of the river was changed in 1805.