Bibai
city in Hokkaidō, Japan
Bibai (美唄市, Bibai-shi) is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
As of 2023, the city has an estimated population of 19,242, and the density of 69.3 persons per km2. The total area is 277.69 km2.
History
The name Bibai is derived from Ainu word "pipa o i", meaning "Place (swamp) with many cockscomb pearl mussels".
1890 - The village of Numakai was founded.
1925 - Numakai village became Numakai town.
1926 - Numakai was renamed Bibai.
1950 - Bibai town became Bibai city.
1982 - Bibai Dam was completed.
At its peak, Bibai was a coal town that produced over a million tons annually.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Bibai” is city in Hokkaidō, Japan. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Bibai, city and Hokkaidō, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “city in Hokkaidō, Japan” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q817271. VIAF identifies the subject as 155962354. The Library of Congress control number is n82099283. Authority coordinates are 43.333, 141.854. 2 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2023, 1890, 1925 and 1926.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bibai”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bibai primary sources, Bibai archive and Bibai research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bibai”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bibai” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.