Matsuura Takeshiro "Hokkaido Naming Place" Monument
Matsuura Takeshiro, an explorer of the Edo period, was surveying Ezochi when he heard the word "Kaina" (meaning "one who lives in this land") spoken by an old Ainu man on a riverbank near the Osashima area.
Influenced by this, he proposed six alternative names for Ezochi to the government, including "Hokkaidō," which was finally settled on as "Hokkaido."
A monument to the naming of Hokkaido was erected in Osashima of the Teshio River basin.
