 Nishisanbongi seen southward from Kōjinguchi. | |
 | |
| Native name | 三本木通 |
|---|---|
| Type | Street |
| Length | 450 |
| Coordinates | 35°01′10″N135°46′12″E / 35.01949472215219°N 135.76997308230733°E /35.01949472215219; 135.76997308230733 |
Sanbongi-dōri (三本木通,Sanbongi-dōri) is a street in the central-eastern part ofKyoto, in theKamigyō-ku ward. It begins atKōjinguchi-dōri. The street splits into two roads,Nishisanbongi-dōri (西三本木通) to the west andHigashisanbongi-dōri (東三本木通) to the east, which eventually converge just before its end,Marutamachi-dōri.
Sanbongi-dōri is a short irregular street in the southeast of Kamigyō ward. It is located just west of theImperial Palace Park and east of theKamo River. It begins in the Kami'ikesu-chō (上生洲町) neighborhood and ends in the Tawaraya-chō (俵屋町) neighborhood.[1] It also passes through the Kami-no-chō (上之町), Naka-no-chō (中之町), and Minami-chō (南町) neighborhoods.[2] The street begins at Kōjinguchi-dōri (荒神口通), near the Kōjin Bridge (荒神橋) over the Kamo River, and ends atMarutamachi-dōri (丸太町通), one of the main east–west arteries of the city, at the Marutamachi Bridge (丸太町橋).[1] The street splits into two after a distance of 175 meters from its start, with one branch turning east, the Higashisanbongi-dōri, while the western part, the Nishisanbongi-dōri, continues straight ahead.[1] The streets reconnect in a horseshoe shape just 15 meters before Marutamachi-dōri.[1] Sanbongi-dōri precedesKawaramachi Street (河原町通) to the west and is the last street before the Kamo River, but it does not touch the river.[3]
Traffic flows one-way from north to south, except on Higashisanbongi-dōri, where no direction is indicated. The street is approximately 450 meters long. The roadway actually extends slightly north of Kōjinguchi and slightly south of Marutamachi, and if these parts were counted, the street would be nearly 800 meters long.[3]
From north to south, in one direction only. Roads encountered from the right are indicated by (d), while those encountered from the left are indicated by (g). Only named streets are listed.
Kōjinguchi-dōri (荒神口通)Marutamachi-dōri (丸太町通)Sources:Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (2023)."近代京都オーバーレイマップ".Art Research Center (in Japanese). Retrieved12 October 2023.
Kyoto City Bus services do not directly pass through the street, but some stops are close due to its proximity to Kawaramachi-dōri. Nearby stops includeKōjin-guchi (荒神口, lines 3, 4, 17, 37, 59, and 205) andKawaramachi Marutamachi (河原町丸太町, lines 3, 4, 10, 17, 37, 59, 65, 93, 202, 204, and 205).[4]
The nearest Kyoto Metro station is south of the street,Kyōto Shiyakusho-mae (京都市役所前駅), on the Tōzai Line.[4]
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The street is named after Sanbongi/Sambongi (三本木), an area further west devastated during the 1708 fire. The area surrounding the street is also called Shinsanbongi (新三本木), meaning "new Sanbongi".[5] The original Sanbongi neighborhood was located just next to the Imperial Palace but is now within the Imperial Palace Garden.[3] Nishisanbongi (西三本木) means "West Sanbongi," while Higashisanbongi (東三本木) means "East Sanbongi."
During theHeian period (794–1185), the street was outside theimperial city and did not yet exist. The area was part of the floodplains of the Kamo River.[2] The neighborhood developed into a temple district, which was relocated during theAzuchi-Momoyama period (1573–1603) byToyotomi Hideyoshi.[2]
The street opened shortly after theHōei fire (宝永の大火), which devastated the imperial quarter and the palace of the old capital in 1708. A residential area opened up betweenKamichōjamachi-dōri and Marutamachi-dōri for the houses displaced by the expansion of theKyoto Imperial Palace after the fire.[1][3][5] As a result, many court nobles settled on the street, giving it the appearance of an imperial neighborhood.[5] During theBakumatsu period at the end of theEdo period (1603–1868), the street gained importance as several samurai and feudal lords passed through.[2] Additionally, the street developed into ahanamachi, a type of entertainment district wheregeishas and tea houses were frequent, often visited by loyalists of theTokugawa shogunate.[2] Meeting places for loyalists included Yamatoya (or Yoshidaya), where in 1867 the assassination attempt on Kido Takayoshi, in favor of a return to monarchy and the abolition of the shogunate, took place.[2] After theMeiji Restoration and the dissolution of the shogunate, the street lost its importance, and the entertainment district disappeared around 1872.[2]
Just north of the street, near Kōjinguchi andHirokōji-dōri, is theKyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.[3]
In the northern part of the street, separated by Higashi and Nishi Sanbongi-dōri, in the small residential block, is theJōdo Buddhist templeEntsū-ji (円通寺/圓通寺), surrounded by historical houses.[5] Thus, several traditional townhouses and longhouses are on the street, which has retained a historical charm.[1][3] However, the northern part of the street is more urban.[3]
Just after the alley that joins Nishi and Higashi Sanbongi-dōri, on the east side of Higashisanbongi, is a stele marking the founding place of theKyoto Hōsei School (京都法政学校), later becomingRitsumeikan University.[3] Next to this stele is another stele dedicated to a nearby, but demolished, location, the Yamatoya (大和屋) or Yoshidaya (吉田屋), the residence where the politician Kido Takayoshi (木戸 孝允, 1833–1877) was attacked by theShinsengumi. Kido managed to escape using an underground passage in the Yoshidaya.[3] Further south, still on Higashisanbongi, facing the Kamo River, is theSanshisui Myōkō (山紫水明処), a historic site that once housed the studio of the painterRai San'yō (頼山陽, 1781–1832). The site is designated a national monument because the painter died there, and the site was renowned for offering one of the best views of the region andMount Hiei.[6][3]
Interpretive panels along the Kamo River explain the area's history.[3]
