The dialect or dialects of Hokkaido (北海道方言, Hokkaidō-hōgen), commonly called Hokkaidō-ben (北海道弁), originated in the area where people from all over Japan gathered and settled.
Since the Meiji period, immigrants have flowed into the inland areas of Hokkaido, especially from the mixed areas of the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions, resulting in a mixture of various Japanese dialects in Hokkaido.
Shibata (2003) mentions three theories:[1] Tōhoku influence is strongest in coastal areas, especially on the Oshima Peninsula in the south, where the local variety is commonly called Hama-kotoba (浜言葉, seashore speech).
Western features may have been brought by merchants from Kansai and Hokuriku following the Kitamaebune ("northern-bound ships") trading route.
It was widely used before the Japanese settled there in the Meiji period and there are still a few elderly speakers today.