Minatogawa

A river that flows south through the center of Kobe. It is 12 kilometers long. The Tennodani River and Ishii River originating in the Rokko Mountains join together and flow through the city, emptying into Osaka Bay near Karumojima-cho, Nagata Ward. It used to flow into the sea between Hyogo Port and Kobe Port, but it often flooded and deposited sediment on the coast, so in 1901 (Meiji 34), the river course was changed to the west from the upstream area near Senshinbashi (Minatogawa-cho, Hyogo Ward), and water was guided through a tunnel at Egeyamashita, where it merged with the Karumo River to form the Shinminatogawa River. In 2000 (Heisei 12), the Shinminatogawa Tunnel was completed, replacing the Egeyama Tunnel. The old riverbed was filled in and became an entertainment district called "Shinkaichi," which became Kobe's most prosperous area from the end of the Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period. To the east of Shinkaichi is Minatogawa Shrine, and the area is the site of the Battle of Minatogawa in 1336 (Engen 1, Kenmu 3), when Kusunoki Masashige and his men fought against the Ashikaga army.

[Hiroko Fujioka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

神戸市中心部を南流する川。延長12キロメートル。六甲(ろっこう)山地に発する天王谷(てんおうだに)川と石井川が合流して市街地を流れ、長田区苅藻島(かるもじま)町付近で大阪湾に注ぐ。かつては兵庫港と神戸港間で海に注いでいたが、しばしば氾濫(はんらん)をおこし海岸に土砂を堆積(たいせき)したので、1901年（明治34）上流の洗心橋（兵庫区湊川町）付近から西方に河道を付け替え、会下(えげ)山下はトンネルで水を導き、苅藻川に合流させ新湊川とした。2000年（平成12）会下山トンネルに替わる新湊川トンネルが完成している。旧河道は埋め立てられ「新開地」とよばれる歓楽街となり、明治末から昭和初めまで神戸第一の繁華街となった。なお、新開地の東方に湊川神社があり、一帯は1336年（延元1・建武3）楠木正成(くすのきまさしげ)らが足利(あしかが)軍と戦った湊川の戦いの地である。

［藤岡ひろ子］

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