Gragma's Yokai Tourbus: xii. INTERMISSION: Hommachi Bend (本町のまがり)

Location: Chuo Ward (near subway Sakaisuji-Hommachi Stn.), Osaka City; about 5 min. off the Midosuji Line + 3 min. walking time

Associated with: Kappa!

There are almost no kappa stories from Osaka that specify the location of where the creatures were actually seen, but one spot, known as "Hommachi Bend," is an exception. The Hommachi Bend, which refers to a bend in the Higashi-Yokobori River, is in the same place it was during the Edo Period. A temple once marked its location but it has since relocated following the construction of the Hanshin Expressway that now runs over and along a good stretch of the river.

The temple that used to be there, if I have the reading right, was known as Jokokuji. Left behind though was a small remnant: a statue of Jizo. This marker is known as the Magarifuchi-Jizo (曲渕地蔵尊), and it can still be found tucked away at the river's bend.

Unknown, c 1880-90 (Source: artelino, https://www.artelino.com/ via http://ukiyo-e.org)

Comments: This is a dinky little site to be sure. It's not particularly scenic, nor is it really on the way to something (though it is pretty much smack bang in the middle of the city). It is kind of on the way to the Osaka Museum of History and Osaka Castle, but it's along a stretch of roadway with few inviting landmarks. Kappa is as kappa does though, so if you are keen to visit a site where they were once said to dwell, don't let urban planning put you off!

Getting There

The starting point on the Midosuji subway line is Hommachi Stn. Our destination is subway Sakaisuji-Hommachi Stn.

Subway Hommachi Stn. is two stops south of Umeda and is where the Midosuji and Chuo ("Central") subway lines intersect. From Hommachi, change to the green Chuo Line and go one stop to Sakaisuji-Hommachi. It's also possible to walk from Hommachi Stn. to the site along Chuo-Odori, adding another 10 minutes or so to your trip, but only do that if you like a good urban setting (hey, some people do).

Getting Your Bearings at Sakaisuji-Hommachi Station

At Sakaisuji-Hommachi, come out at Exit 1. This will have you facing east and the direction you need to go. Follow the map below, and in a few minutes you'll come to a bridge spanning the river with the expressway more or less running over the top of it. This is Hommachi Bend, with the Higashi-Yokobori River curving away on your left (to the north).

Map courtesy of Google Maps

The Magarifuchi-Jizo is tucked under the expressway on the west bank of the river, so take the left just before crossing the bridge. This little cranny of a road is dark and seldom used, and here in the middle of the city it feels rather foreboding. I've walked along it several times and it has been perfectly safe, but it always gives me the creeps.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

A more practical issue I had was preparing the map above. The site sits perfectly under the expressway so when I first tried to extract a route it kept giving me the wrong directions. As you can see, I got a bit carried away trying to pin down the location!

If you keep walking in the same direction along Chuo-Odori you'll first come to subway Tanimachi-Yonchome Stn. If you like, you can take that north to Tenjinbashisuji-Rokuchome Stn. and visit Nagarabashi Bridge, which was featured here:

http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/09/iv-nagarabashi-bridge-and-daigan-ji.html

http://yokaitourbus.blogspot.jp/2015/09/iv-nagarabashi-bridge-and-daigan-ji_17.html

Or you can follow Chuo-Odori along until you reach the intersection on the map below. Branching off to your left is the Osaka Museum of History and Osaka Castle, and off to your right to the south is another large but bare-bones park. This is actually Naniwanomiyaato Park (of course it is!), the site of the old Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace, marking Emperor Kotoku's Naniwa Capital (r. 645-654) for a brief time during the Asuka Period, an era when the capital was located almost always within present-day Nara Prefecture.