[Miyagi Prefecture] Are the tiles in the arcade in front of Sendai Station the remains of a waterway from the Edo period? Pursue the mystery introduced in Buratamori!

Sendai Ekimae Shopping Street is a tourist spot where many people come and go. In fact, this shopping street has a mystery that is not well known even to the people of Miyagi Prefecture.

The mystery behind this is the pattern of the arcade tiles. As you walk through the arcade, you will notice unnatural patterns in certain places, and there are rumors that they are related to waterways from the Edo period.Is this true? This time, we will unravel the mystery using the tiles in front of Sendai Station!

What is the mystery of Sendai city featured in Buratamori?

The mystery I 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 NHK episode of Bura Tamori's ``Sendai ~Date Masamune is a ``terrain enthusiast''!?''.

It is said that if you follow the mystery of the tiles, you will be able to see the construction of Sendai Castle and the development of the castle town by Date Masamune, but what exactly does this mean?

Where are the tiles of Sendai Station Arcade?

The location where the tile in question is located is at the border between "Hapina Nakacho Shopping District" and "Chris Road Shopping District."

Enter "Hapina Nakacho Shopping Street" from the Sendai Ekimae Commercial Building AEL side and walk to the area where the ramen shop "Ichiran" and "Joyo Bank Sendai Branch" are located.

The tiles on the floor of the arcade are diagonal lines that are different from the rest, and run across the arcade, so it should be easy to spot.

Yotsuya irrigation water was flowing in the area of ​​the arcade.

The mysterious tiles that suddenly appear in the arcade are said to be based on the ``Yotsuya Yosui''. From here, I will explain the outline of Yotsuya Irrigation and the reason why there was an irrigation canal at the location of the arcade.

What is Yotsuya Irrigation Water?

The tiles in question indicate that Yotsuya irrigation water once flowed there. Yotsuya Irrigation is an irrigation canal that was built to bring water to the castle town during the Edo period, and construction began on the order of Date Masamune.

were used for a wide range of purposes, including fire protection, water for washing dishes, and industrial water for water turbines After the Meiji period, with the development of water and sewage systems, water was no longer used for daily life, and it seems that the use of underground drains gradually progressed.

Furthermore, since the Showa era, when the arrival of the motorized society made it necessary to cover waterways, there were only a few remaining waterways left on land.

Why was an irrigation canal drawn into the current arcade?

The reason why Date Masamune went to the trouble of carrying out large-scale construction work to construct an irrigation canal was because of the castle town's location. The current urban area, which has become a castle town, is located on the river terraces of the Hirose River, which has the advantage of being less susceptible to flood damage, but has the disadvantage of not being able to secure water.

Therefore, the idea was 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. Starting from the upper reaches of the Hirose River, which is about 3km west of the center of the castle town, it branches into many tributaries and flows throughout the castle town.

In addition, during the Edo period, the town was divided based on the Yotsuya Irrigation Waterway, and the tiles introduced this time are Nagakecho (on the side of Hapina Nagakecho Shopping Street) where the samurai lived, and Shindenmacho (on the Chris Road Shopping Street side) where the townspeople lived. It was divided into two sides.

3 spots where you can feel the remnants of Yotsuya Irrigation Water

Although most of it is no longer visible, there are other spots besides the arcade where you can feel its remnants. We will introduce some particularly easy-to-understand places, so if you are interested, please visit them.

Iroha Yokocho

By drawing the Yotsuya irrigation water, water seeped into the gravel layer and became a well water source for the castle town. There is still a well in Iroha Yokocho, and although it is not drinkable, you can actually get water out of it.

INFORMATION

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

GOOGLE MAP

Oritate, Aoba Ward

There is Yotsuya Seir in Oritate, Aoba Ward It is the intake/opening for the Yotsuya irrigation canal, and the shape of the irrigation canal is still well preserved.

INFORMATION

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

GOOGLE MAP

Yawata, Aoba Ward

In Yahata, Aoba Ward, of such as cross a stream, the remains of a washing area, and the information board of the civil engineering heritage site , which are scattered throughout the area.

INFORMATION

  • Name: Yotsuya water boiling place
  • Address: 5-9-10 Yawata, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0871

GOOGLE MAP

INFORMATION

  • Name: Yotsuya Irrigation Hijisawa Kakehi
  • Address: 6-14 Yahata, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0871

GOOGLE MAP

INFORMATION

  • Name: Civil engineering heritage Yotsuya canal information board
  • Address: Yahata, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture 980-0871

GOOGLE MAP

Experience the remnants of Yotsuya Irrigation Water with your own eyes

This time, I have explained the relationship between the tiles in the arcade in front of Sendai Station and the Yotsuya Irrigation Water. You can feel the achievements of Date Masamune and the people who lived in the castle town through the irrigation canal, so be sure to pay attention when passing through the arcade.

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