In 1612, at the beginning of the Edo Period, Osaka was a city of merchants, one of the main economic centers of Japan. To facilitate the transportation of goods, a local entrepreneur named Yasui Dōton started the construction of a channel connecting two streams of the river crossing the city from north to south.

The Siege of Osaka prevented him from finishing the construction, however the canal was later completed and was named in his honor Dōtonbori (from Dōton and hori “canal").

Dotonbori, Namba, Osaka

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Uchiko Yokaichi old town