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Sanriku Fukkō NP, Miyagi
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In 1613, a 180-plus-person embassy sailed from Tsukinoura on Oshika’s north shore aboard the Japanese-built San Juan Bautista. Hasekura Tsunenaga crossed the Pacific to Mexico, then continued to Spain and Rome.
In 1677, all 44 fishing communities of the Oshika Peninsula joined in a petition asking the Ishinomaki magistrate to stop incoming Kii groups from bonito fishing and whaling—a rare show of peninsula-wide solidarity.
The Geospatial Information Authority’s Oshika GPS station recorded a 5.3 m southeast shift and a 1.2 m drop in the 2011 earthquake—an extraordinary measurement at one point on the peninsula, not a uniform movement everywhere.
Modern whaling reached Ayukawa in 1906 and transformed the settlement: by 1955, the old Oshika town had more than 13,000 residents, with about 80% reportedly working in whaling-related jobs.
In Ishinomaki’s hōya-zōni, salted sea squirt does double duty: it is grilled and dried to flavor the broth, then rehydrated and added as an ingredient. The local dish was recognized as a “100-Year Food” in 2023.
Whale is not just part of Oshika’s history: Ishinomaki City lists whale sashimi, tatsuta-age (ginger-soy fried whale), and yamato-ni among dishes still enjoyed in the area. Tatsuta-age is a local specialty.
Before a prefectural road opened in the early Shōwa era, the Kinkasan Road was the peninsula’s only land lifeline. Pilgrims followed its winding, hilly route to Ayukawa, then crossed by boat to the sacred offshore island.
Oshika’s Whale Festival has been held since 1953 to remember people lost in maritime accidents and honor whale spirits. Its memorial roots sit alongside performances and a celebration of the peninsula’s whaling culture.
In Ayukawa’s Shichifukujin-mai, all 7 Lucky Gods receive equal billing in the dance—a distinctive local tradition. It is performed at the Whale Festival and at the first Snake Festival of Kinkasan’s Koganeyama Shrine.
At Kugunari Beach, footsteps make the sand squeak “kukk.” Its name, 十八成, turns that doubled sound into wordplay: 9 plus 9 makes 18. The beach is on the peninsula’s coast.
To help restore forests browsed by deer, the local group Oshika Link plants urihadakaede maples, which deer tend to avoid, and taps their sap. A community outing even produced a small batch of peninsula-grown maple syrup.
Around 1952, long-line oyster culture spread across Oshika, replacing raft-style farming in many places. The lines handled waves better, allowing growers to use rougher bay mouths and even offshore grounds.
Just offshore from Oshika’s eastern coast, the Enoshima island group is a protected breeding ground for black-tailed gulls and rhinoceros auklets. The auklets’ nesting places have shifted among the islets, including Ashijima and Kasagaijima.
“Oshika” appears in a record from 737, while local lore offers a poignant name-story: a stag, separated from its doe, called until it died. Villagers planted a pine over the spot and named the stone there Deer Stone.
