Esashi, Hokkaidō (Sōya)

Esashi 枝幸町
Town
Aerial view of Esashi in the distance with Ōmu in the foreground
Location of Esashi in Hokkaido (Sōya Subprefecture)
Esashi Location in Japan
Coordinates: 44°56′N 142°35′E / 44.933°N 142.583°E / 44.933; 142.583Coordinates: 44°56′N 142°35′E / 44.933°N 142.583°E / 44.933; 142.583
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Sōya Subprefecture)
District	Esashi
Area
• Total	1,115.67 km2 (430.76 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	8,980
• Density	8.0/km2 (21/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website	www.town.esashi.hokkaido.jp

Esashi (枝幸町, Esashi-chō^?) is a town in Esashi District, Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

As of 2011^[update], its estimated population is 8,980 and its area is 1,115.67 square kilometres (430.76 square miles).

The name comes from the Ainu word Esaushi, meaning "cape" (in the geographic sense).

Esashi is located at the southeast tip of Sōya Subprefectures. The town faces the Sea of Okhotsk to the east, the town of Utanobori to the west, the town of Bifuka to the southwest, Ōmu to the south, and Hamatonbetsu to the north. The southern border of the city is marked by the Toinai River, and the north is marked by Cape Kamui.

The residential districts of Esashi are on a long, narrow strip of the coast ranging from north to south; 67.08% of the town is forested, 14.7% is unused plain land, and only .44% of the town consists of residential land.

Esashi District was established in 1869 in Kitami Province (1868-1882), a short-lived province in the north of Hokkaido. The district was historically under the control of the Kaga Domain on Honshu; this control ended in 1870.