Miyagi Prefecture

Are the tiles in the arcade in front of Sendai Station the remains of a waterway from the Edo period? Investigating the mystery that was also featured on Bura Tamori!

The Sendai Station Shopping Arcade is a popular tourist spot with many people coming and going, but there is actually a mystery about this shopping arcade that is not well known even to the people of Miyagi Prefecture

The mystery is about the "pattern of tiles in the arcade." " a certain place," and there is a rumor that it is related to a waterway from the Edo period, but is this true? This time, we will solve the mystery using the tiles in front of Sendai Station as a starting point!

What is the mystery of Sendai city featured on Bura Tamori?

The mystery we will introduce this time is about the tiles on the floor of the arcade in front of Sendai Station. This mystery also appeared in the episode "Sendai - Date Masamune is a 'geography enthusiast'!?" of "Bura Tamori."

Reference link: NHK Archives – "Sendai" - a video of the area visited by Bura Tamori

By investigating the mystery of the tiles, we can get a glimpse into the construction of Sendai Castle and the development of the castle town by Date Masamune, but what does this mean?

Where are the tiles in the arcade in front of Sendai Station?

The tile in question is located on Hapina Nakakecho Shopping Street and Chris Road Shopping Street .

Enter the Hapina Nakakecho Shopping Street from the Aeru side of the Sendai Station Commercial Building, and walk to the area where the ramen restaurant Ichiran and Joyo Bank Sendai Branch are located

Nakakecho (a tributary of the third tributary) [Remains]
Nakakecho (a tributary of the third tributary) [Remains]

It's easy to spot as the tiles on the arcade floor are in a diagonal line that runs across the arcade, unlike the rest of the area

The Yotsuya Irrigation Canal once flowed through the area where the arcade is now located

The mysterious tiles that suddenly appear in the arcade the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal . From here, we will explain the outline of the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal and why there was an irrigation canal in the location of the arcade.

What is Yotsuya Irrigation Canal?

The tile in question indicates that the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal once ran through it. The Yotsuya Irrigation Canal was an irrigation canal built during the Edo period to bring water to the castle town, and construction began on the orders of Date Masamune

A monument and explanatory plaque for the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal at AER Aeru Square
A monument and explanatory plaque for the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal at AER Aeru Square

The waterways had a wide range of uses, including fire prevention, water for washing dishes, industrial water for water wheels, etc. After the Meiji period, with the development of water supply and sewage systems, they fell out of use as domestic water, and gradually became covered channels.

Furthermore, since the Showa era, when the advent of automobile society meant that covers on waterways became necessary, only a handful of waterways remain above ground

Yotsuya Irrigation Canal Monument ＜Information＞

  • Name: Monument of the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal Past and Present
  • Address: Aeru Square, 1-3-1 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0021

Google Map

Why was an irrigation canal built into the current arcade?

The reason why Date Masamune ordered the construction of an irrigation canal at such a large scale was because of the location of the castle town. The current urban area that became the castle town is on the river terrace of the Hirose River, which has the advantage of being less susceptible to flood damage, but the disadvantage is that it is difficult to secure water .

Therefore, they decided to draw water from the upper reaches of the Hirose River to secure water for daily life that was not available on the river terraces.The upper reaches of the Hirose River start about 3km west of the center of the castle town, and branch out into several tributaries that flow throughout the castle town

During the Edo period, the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal was used as a dividing line between towns, and the area shown here was divided into Nakakecho (on the Hapina Nakakecho Shopping Street side), where samurai lived, and Shindenmacho (on the Chris Road Shopping Street side), where townspeople lived

3 Spots Where You Can Feel the Remnants of the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal

Although most of it can no longer be seen, there are other spots besides the arcade where you can still feel its remnants. We will introduce some particularly easy-to-find places, so if you are interested, please go and check them out

Iroha Yokocho

By diverting the Yotsuya irrigation canal, water permeated the gravel layer and became a source of well water for the castle town

A well still standing in Iroha Yokocho, which used to be fed by the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal
A well still standing in Iroha Yokocho, which used to be fed by the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal

Even today, the well remains in Iroha Yokocho

Iroha Yokocho <Information>

  • Name: Iroha Yokocho
  • Address: 2-3-28 Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0811

Google Map

Oritate, Aoba Ward

In Oritate, Aoba Ward , there is the Yotsuya Weir . It is the intake and opening of the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal, and the shape of the irrigation canal remains intact even today.

Yotsuya Weir <Information>

  • Name: Yotsuya Weir
  • Address: 1-15 Oritate, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 982-0261

Google Map

Yahata, Aoba Ward

The covered Yotsuya Irrigation Canal
The covered Yotsuya Irrigation Canal

of remain scattered throughout the area , places where gutters were installed to allow the canal to cross streams , remains of washing areas, and information boards marking the civil engineering heritage

Information board for the former Yotsuya Irrigation Waterworks
Information board for the former Yotsuya Irrigation Waterworks

Former Yotsuya Irrigation Washing Station ＜Information＞

  • Name: Yotsuya Irrigation Canal Boiling Point
  • Address: 2-chome Yahata, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0871

Google Map

The boiling ground <Information>

  • Name: Yotsuya Irrigation Canal Boiling Point
  • Address: 5-9-10 Yahata, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0871

Google Map

Hijirizawa Kakehi <Information>

  • Name: Yotsuya Irrigation Canal, Hijirizawa Hanging Canal
  • Address: 6-14 Yahata, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0871

Google Map

Information sign for the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal

  • Name: Civil Engineering Heritage: Yotsuya Irrigation Canal Information Board
  • Address: Yahata, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0871

Google Map

See the remains of the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal with your own eyes

This time, we have explained the relationship between the tiles in the arcade in front of Sendai Station and the Yotsuya Irrigation Canal. You can get a sense of Date Masamune's achievements and the lives of the people who lived in the castle town through the irrigation canal, so be sure to pay attention when you pass through the arcade

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