Shiraoi, Iburi region, Hokkaidō
アヨロ
あよろ AyoroThe article places Ayoro beside Uyoro as one of the two names of Shiraoi called hard to explain. Both end in or, and the author reads both as landform names.
Ainu spellings: Ay-or
Analyses
ay-or-o-kotan
アヨロコタン
village where there are arrows
Proponent: 定説
ay-or
アヨロ
place of the cliff
- ay cliff
- or place of
Proponent: zenibako_trek（小樽銭函地名歴史研究会） (zenibako_trek (Otaru Zenibako Place-Name and History Society))
The author reaches the reading through the Aikappu names found in several places, taken as aykap 'cannot' and explained as cliffs an arrow cannot reach. He holds that a verb alone hardly becomes a place name and reads Aikappu as an older ay-ka-o-p 'place on top of the cliff', which puts an element ay 'cliff' in the same position as in Ayoro. The named ground is the wall of cliff that rises there.
Attestations
- アイロウ map Edo period 秦蝦夷島図
- アイロ map 19th century 間宮河川図
Sources
- 白老町の地名の由来 ＋ ウポポイは何を伝えているか
zenibako_trek·2025-03-03