Where the Name Hirafu Comes From: The General Abe no Hirafu and Hokkaido's Old Name, Shiribeshi

The name "Hirafu," known for its ski slopes, is said to come from a general who lived more than 1,300 years ago: Abe no Hirafu. It sounds surprising today, but the area around Niseko and Kutchan is old enough to appear in the Nihon Shoki, the eighth-century chronicle of Japan. Follow the name back and it connects, in a single line, to how this region came to be called Shiribeshi.

This article reflects the situation as of 8 October 2026. Ancient history has competing theories, so we separate confirmed record from legend. On the subject of names, reading it alongside where the name Niseko comes from brings the making of this land into view.

Who was Abe no Hirafu: a general who sailed north in the Nihon Shoki

Abe no Hirafu was a general active in the mid-7th century, in the Asuka period. Neither his birth nor his death year is certain, but the Nihon Shoki records, year by year, how he sailed north on the orders of Empress Saimei.

By the chronicle, in 658 he led a fleet of 180 ships northward, and in 659 he set out again with another 180. In 660 he is said to have fought a people called the Mishihase with 200 ships. The sheer number of vessels tells you this was a large undertaking for its time. The people he fought, the Mishihase, are thought to have lived along the northern seas. The Nihon Shoki even records that Hirafu presented two live brown bears and seventy of their pelts to the court, a faint glimpse of the northern country of over a thousand years ago. Empress Saimei was a female sovereign who sent fleets again and again to seas far from the capital. He later took part as a commander in the Battle of Hakusukinoe, a powerful military figure of the ancient world.

Placing a district office at Shiribeshi (後方羊蹄): the start of Niseko and the region's name

The passage that matters for this region is the one from 659. The Nihon Shoki says, in effect, that Abe no Hirafu set up a government seat at a place it writes 後方羊蹄 (read Shiribeshi) and appointed officials to govern the land.

That old name, 後方羊蹄, is thought to be the origin of today's regional name, written 後志 and read the same way, Shiribeshi. Shiribeshi is the name for the area spreading around Mount Yotei, taking in both Kutchan and Niseko. Mount Yotei itself is also called Ezo-Fuji, a mountain that has served as a landmark for people for a very long time. There is more on it in the guide to climbing Mount Yotei. Picture skiers now gathering from all over the world on land named in a record over a thousand years old, and it starts to feel a little strange. Shiribeshi also takes in Yoichi and Niki, known for their orchards, and the towns of the Shakotan Peninsula. Around Mount Yotei, it is a region that holds both the sea and the mountains. That a land named in an old record is now known for farming, resorts and fishing says something about its depth.

The place name Hirafu: a general's name, still here

The name "Hirafu," used for the ski area and the hot springs, is said to come from this Abe no Hirafu. The theory holds that his connection to the area left his name on the land. Whether the ancient expedition actually reached the foot of Mount Yotei is not clearly known. That part is better received as a long-told story than as hard record. The name Hirafu has long been used not only for the ski area but also for the old Hirafu hot spring. One account says the general placed a base in the area behind Mount Yotei, though there is no firm record of that either, and it has come down as the land's memory rather than fact.

The same name survives elsewhere, too. The Hakodate Main Line has a station called Hirafu, which also carries the general's name. Once you know that the name you say in "staying in Hirafu" or "skiing in Hirafu" goes back more than 1,300 years to one person, the familiar letters on the signs may look a little different.

Abe no Hirafu, enshrined at Kutchan Shrine: a rare thing

Abe no Hirafu is not just a name inside a legend. At Kutchan Shrine in Kutchan Town, the general Abe no Hirafu is actually enshrined as one of the deities. Shrines that enshrine a historical person exist across Japan, but one that enshrines Abe no Hirafu is rare nationwide.

Kutchan Shrine added the general Abe no Hirafu in 1942, as a founding deity of the opening of Shiribeshi. The reason given is that same line from the Nihon Shoki, about placing a district office at Shiribeshi. A general from over a thousand years ago and the history of settlement from the Meiji era onward are joined inside one shrine. We cover the shrine's own history and its eleven deities in a separate article. If Japanese shrines and the manners of visiting them interest you, the guide to Japanese culture is a way in.

FAQ

Does the name Hirafu really come from Abe no Hirafu?

That is what people say, but it cannot be stated as fact. What is certain is that Abe no Hirafu is a real general who appears in the Nihon Shoki, and that the modern regional name 後志 (Shiribeshi) is thought to derive from the old place name 後方羊蹄, read the same way. Whether the place name Hirafu connects directly to the general is largely a matter of legend.

How do you read 後方羊蹄?

The old place name in the Nihon Shoki is written 後方羊蹄 and read "Shiribeshi." It is thought to be the origin of the modern regional name, written with the different characters 後志 but read the same way, Shiribeshi, which includes Kutchan and Niseko.

Where is the shrine that enshrines Abe no Hirafu?

It is Kutchan Shrine in Kutchan Town. He was enshrined there in 1942 as a founding deity of the opening of Shiribeshi. Shrines enshrining Abe no Hirafu are few across the country.

If you want to know more about the names and the making of this land, read on from here.

— Niseko Hub Editorial Team