Oyabe River

Oyabe River (Oyabe-gawa)
小矢部川
River
Name origin: Ainu
Country Japan
State Toyama
Region Chūbu
Municipalities Nanto, Oyabe, Takaoka, Imizu
Source Mount Daimon
 - location Nanto, Toyama, Japan
 - elevation 1,572 m (5,157 ft)
 - coordinates JP 36°24′10″N 137°36′18″E / 36.40278°N 137.60500°E / 36.40278; 137.60500
Mouth Sea of Japan
 - location Takaoka & Imizu, Toyama, Japan
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Length 68 km (42 mi)
Basin 682 km2 (263 sq mi)
Discharge
 - average 24.31 m3/s (858 cu ft/s)

The Oyabe River (小矢部川 Oyabe-gawa) is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The river rises from Mount Daimon on the border of Ishikawa Prefecture and enters the sea at Toyama Bay.

The kanji that spells Oyabe means "little arrow room", but this may be a case of ateji, in which the kanji spelling was applied to the word, regardless of meaning. The word "oyabe" appears to be an Ainu name, oyaw pet [ojawbet], or "snake river", perhaps due to its serpentine course; there is also a legend of a battle with a monstrous snake, whose death created part of the local landscape.[1]

References

  1. Vovin, Alexander (2008). "Man'yōshū to Fudoki ni Mirareru Fushigina Kotoba to Jōdai Nihon Retto ni Okeru Ainugo no Bunpu." Kokusai Nihon Bunka Kenkyū Sentā.


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