Sanriku (三陸) is a historical region of Japan on the northeastern side of the island of Honshu, corresponding to today's Aomori, Iwate and parts of Miyagi Prefecture. It was sometimes called Rikushū (陸州).
The 36 bays of this irregular coastline tend to amplify the destructiveness of tsunami waves which reach the shores of Sanriku,[1] as demonstrated in the damage caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
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On January 19, 1869, in the aftermath of the Boshin War, the provinces of Mutsu and Dewa were split. Mutsu was split into new five provinces: Rikuō (also read Mutsu), Rikuchū, Rikuzen, Iwashiro and Iwaki. The first three of these collectively known as the "Three Riku", or Sanriku.[2]
The new provinces were shortlived, being abolished in July 1871 when the abolition of the han system redivided Japan into its present prefectures. However, the label lives on in common usages such as the Sanriku Coast, which extends along Japan's Pacific coastline from Aomori in the north down to the Oshika Peninsula in Miyagi.[3]