Yodo

A district in the southwest of Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. Formerly Yodo-cho, it was incorporated into Fushimi Ward in 1957 (Showa 32). It is a low-lying marshland at an altitude of 11 meters, located at the confluence of the Uji River, Katsura River, and former Kizu River. The Nihon Koki refers to it as "Yodo-tsu," and it was the outer port of Heian-kyo, where rice tributes from manors across the country were unloaded until the Middle Ages, and it also flourished as a fish market. During the Edo period, Yodo's Noso, along with Fushimi, was the base of shipping on the Yodo River. It was also a strategic military location, and Yodo Castle was built on the site of Noso during the Sengoku period. Toyotomi Hideyoshi also renovated Yodo Castle for Yodo-dono, but demolished it when Fushimi Castle was completed. In 1623 (Genwa 9), Matsudaira Sadatsuna built a castle in what is now Yodo Honmachi to protect Kyoto. Thereafter, it prospered as a castle town for the Yodo Domain and as Yodo-shuku on the Tokaido. In 1868 (Meiji 1), Yodo Castle was burned down in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Today, the remains of the castle ruins, including the stone walls of the main citadel and part of the inner moat, remain and serve as Yodo Castle Ruins Park. With the opening of a railway between Osaka and Kyoto in the Meiji period, water transport on the Yodo River rapidly declined. With the opening of the Keihan Electric Railway at the end of the Meiji period, the number of commuters to Kyoto and Osaka increased, leading to the development of residential areas, and Kyoto Racecourse was built using the low-lying marshes.

[Takeo Oda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

京都市伏見(ふしみ)区南西部の一地区。旧淀町で、1957年（昭和32）伏見区に編入。宇治(うじ)川、桂(かつら)川、旧木津(きづ)川の三川の合流点にあたり、標高11メートルの低湿地をなしている。『日本後紀』には「与等津」とあり、平安京の外港として、中世まで全国荘園(しょうえん)の貢租米の荷揚げが行われ、また淀魚市として栄えた。江戸時代、淀の納所(のうそ)は伏見とともに淀川水運の本拠地をなした。また軍事上の要地でもあり、戦国時代から納所の地に淀城が置かれた。豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉も一時淀君のために淀城を修築したが、伏見城完成とともに取り壊した。1623年（元和9）京都守護のため、松平定綱(さだつな)は現在の淀本町に築城した。以後、淀藩の城下町、また東海道の淀宿として繁栄した。1868年（明治1）鳥羽(とば)・伏見の戦いで淀城は焼失。現在、本丸の石垣と内堀の一部を残し、淀城跡公園となっている。明治になって大阪―京都間に鉄道が開通し、淀川水運は急速に衰退した。明治末年京阪電鉄の開通によって京都・大阪への通勤者が増加して宅地化が進み、低湿地を利用して京都競馬場がある。

［織田武雄］

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