Let's go on an adventure around the port town of Valley of the Wind. Part 2

Hello! I'm Michita, a citizen writer.
An adventurous journey exploring the history of the town while walking around it.
This is the second part, "Part 2".

▼Click here for "Part 1"!

Let's continue to explore the changes in this town by paying attention to the flow of wind and water, and the topography.

The one-way street continuing from Minamimachi meets Prefectural Route 26 in Yokamachi. The wind seems to be blowing from the left (northwest), so let's take a slight detour by turning right. Let's climb Yokochoyama, the town's symbol, at the tip of the hills continuing from Mt. Anba, with its right-angle curves reminiscent of a cape that once jutted out into the sea. Looking down from Yokochoyama on the streets of Yokamachi and Mikkamachi (Sanhachi Street),

As you can see, the street in front of the city hall is bordered on the south by the Sasagajin hills, and on the north by a straight valley sandwiched between the hills that extend from Mt. Anba.
The wind blowing in from the northwest gathers as it passes through the long, narrow valley, becoming even stronger before heading into the inland bay. It functions as a "dashi-no-kaze" (wind channel) that boosts ships setting out from the port. Sanpachi-dori, which is currently the center of the town, was a "wind passage." Why did Kesennuma flourish as a port town? As we explained in the first part, it is surrounded by mountains and hills, and is home to rias, a complex of inlets and bays.
The topography of the bay acts as a natural breakwater, making the bay safe even during storms. Even today, Kesennuma Port is known as a safe port where many ships take refuge during typhoons and other storms.
On the other hand, in the days when non-motorized sailing ships were the main means of transportation, the strong winds necessary for setting sail blew into the harbor, which opened to the southeast, from the northwest valley behind the port.
Kesennuma is a port town built on reclaimed land in the Valley of the Wind, surrounded by wind-sheltering mountains and hills, through which good breezes suitable for sailing can be found.
So, where does the landfill begin? The adventure continues.
The road comes to a three-way intersection with National Route 284 heading towards Ichinoseki and Prefectural Route 26 heading towards Sendai.

On the corner is a retro building that once housed a miso and soy sauce shop.
An open waterway came into view. It collects water from small valleys here and there in the hills on both sides, flows vigorously, and connects to the sea.

In the open channel area, each house has its own private bridge, or "my bridge," which is a beautiful sight.

By the way, where does water flow?
Water flows from higher to lower places, meaning the area where the waterway flows was once the bottom of a valley. This area, too, is a vestige of what was once the sea.
From a famous yakiniku restaurant run by a butcher shop to a local Chinese restaurant that also offers delivery, and even a public bathhouse playing jazz music and a snack bar, Aramachi, which retains the atmosphere of the Showa era, is a new area that was reclaimed in the early Edo period. With the creation of Aramachi, the area that had previously been called Uramachi was renamed Furumachi.
The original name of the town, "Uramachi," also conveys that it was a waterfront area, an inlet. Let's take a look around from near the approach to Kitano Shrine.

What do you think? It's clear that the Furumachi and Shinmachi areas are valleys surrounded by hills.
In fact, the entire area of ​​Furumachi, Shinmachi, and Mikkamachi was originally a long, narrow inlet (sea) called "Hosoura." It was a ria (drowned valley) inlet located between the hills to the north and the peninsula-like terrain called "Nagasaki" that extended to the south.
So, what is there in the northwest direction where the wind is blowing?

Far to the northwest you can see the beautiful trapezoidal shape of Mt. Murone.

The westerly wind that blows through Kesennuma in winter is actually the "Muroone Oroshi" wind that blows down from Mt. Murone. The wind descends the mountain, passes through the valley, and blows into the sea.
The formation of this town is closely related to its topography and the climate it produces.
The "Narai Wind" not only brought benefits to the town, but also caused disasters, and had a major impact on industries that continue to this day.
There is much more to talk about, but I think I'll wrap it up here.

Recommended for those who want to know more about the origins of the town and take an adventurous trip around Kesennuma's topography.

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Person who wrote this article

Mitsuta Onodera

I'm originally from the Karakuwa Peninsula, known as the Italy of Minami Sanriku. I run Horizon, a cram school in the city. I'm a licensed guide-interpreter with a Grade 1 Eiken certificate, and a member of the Miyagi Suribachi Society, a group with a passion for topography and history. I also provide local tours as a guide and interpreter (the northernmost Miya Suribachi).

• Inner bay
• Recommendations from a local perspective
• Citizen Writer
• Port town
• Walking around the city
• Waiting for the Wind

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