Everything about Urup totally explained
Urup (;
Japanese 得撫島;
Uruppu) is one of the
Kuril Islands to the north of
Japan. Its area is about 1,430 km². The highest point is
Gora Ivao (1,426 m).
The island was originally within the fief of the
Matsumae clan, before coming under the control of the
Hokkaidō regional government. Since
World War II, Urup has been a part of
Sakhalin Oblast in
Russia.
History
The island was originally inhabited by
Ainu, the native peoples of the Kurils,
Sakhalin and
Hokkaidō. It was first discovered by Europeans in
1643, when a ship of the
Dutch East India Company landed there, probably seeking furs.
Russian fur traders appeared in the 18th century, hunting
sea otter and seizing foreign ships in the area. There were clashes between the Russians and the Ainu in
1772, and the Russians left for a time, but soon returned. G.F. Muller’s
Voyages & Découvertes faites par les Russes (Amsterdam, 1766) contained a list and description of the Kurile islands, including Urup whose people were said to trade with the Japanese but were not under their control. A small Russian presence was established on Urup by the fur trader Ivan Chernyi in 1768, acting on instructions from the Governor of Siberia. During the 1770s it was the base for attempts to establish trade with the Japanese on Yezo (Hokkaido) which came to an end when it was destroyed by a tsunami in June 1780.
In
1801, the Japanese government officially claimed control of the island, incorporating it into Ezo Province (now Hokkaidō Prefecture). This would soon lead to clashes with Russia over Urup and the other Kurils. The island officially became Russian territory in
1855, with a treaty that established a border at the strait between Urup and
Etorofu (Iturup), but was traded back to Japan twenty years later in exchange for Sakhalin Island. It was during this time that the island came under the administration of the Hokkaidō prefectural authorities, and the Ainu were forced out.
The island remained under Japanese authority until August of
1945, when
Soviet forces invaded
Manchuria and the Kurils, sending the Japanese inhabitants of Urup back to Hokkaidō. In
1952, upon signing the
Treaty of San Francisco, Japan renounced its claim to the island.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Urup'.
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