糠平ぬかびら Nukabira

Biratori, Hidaka region, Hokkaidō

Ainu spellings: Noka-pira

Three readings of the name are grammatical, and the article settles on the one that follows the local tradition of Okikurmi's casi.

Location

42.7183, 142.4478 · Coordinates: OpenStreetMap Nominatim, 2026-09-10, on 額平川. Open in OpenStreetMap

Referents

mountain The cliff at Nukabira, said to be the casi of Okikurmi, the founding deity of the Ainu

Analyses

noka-pira

ノカピラ ‘cliff where the figure is’ proposed

noka ‘figure, image’
pira ‘cliff’

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 chooses the reading that follows the tradition, taking the figure to be that of the god Okikurmi. He adds that nukar 'watch' is transitive and therefore does not fit.

Variants

nupka-pira ‘cliff of the field’ — One of the safe readings the author sets aside.
nokan-pira ‘narrow cliff’ — The other safe reading he sets aside.

Confidence: low

noka and pira are dictionary words in the senses used, and the author states that he chose between three grammatical readings on the strength of the tradition.

zenibako_trek… 「糠平（ぬかびら）」

Sources

zenibako_trek…