What is "Dondobi," the center of Imabari City? Its origin is closely related to the history of Imabari Castle...
Streets magazine Editors
September 28, 2024
This article has been automatically translated from the Japanese version.
Dondobi" is well known to the citizens of Imabari
This is the entrance to the central shopping street of Imabari City. Locals call this place "Dondobi. The traffic light indicates "Dondobi Intersection. The large monitor installed in the plaza next to the intersection is named "Dondovision" and is familiar to citizens. Dondobi" is not the official name of the area, but why was it named this way? There is a deep relationship with the history of the construction of Imabari Castle.
It is related to the outer moat of Imabari Castle that leads to the sea.
At the time of construction, Imabari Castle had three moats: an inner moat, a middle moat, and an outer moat, allowing boats to enter the moat from the sea. The outer moat connecting to the sea and the Izumi River joined at this location, and a sluice-like flume was built to stop or channel the river water depending on the ebb and flow of the tide. The name "Dondobi" comes from the fact that the flow of the water looked like it was opening its mouth to swallow or spit out water.
The outer moat is the present "Kinsei River
The "Kinsei River" running from "Dondobi" to the sea is the former outer moat of Imabari Castle. It is said that the moat was 30 meters wide at that time, but a part of it was reclaimed in the Meiji period (1868-1912) and remains as the present small Kanasegawa River. Since the river is still connected to the sea, the water level of the river changes with the tide, and the small bridge over the river is a popular photo spot with a retro atmosphere that retains the look of the Showa period.
The place names "Kawaganbata" and "Tatsunokuchi" are vestiges of the castle town
There is a monument named "Kawaganbata" near the mouth of Kinsei River. It is evident that this area once prospered as a place where boats could get in and out of the outer moat from the sea. And the place across the Kanasei River (the outer moat at that time) from "Kawaganbata" was called "Tatsunokuchi", where the entrance and exit of the samurai residences and the castle town were strictly supervised. The history of Dondobi and Kinsei River as the outer moat of Imabari Castle has been inherited.
