福島正則
The river is a man-made canal excavated in 1610 by order of Fukushima Masanori to allow ships to bring goods to the city. The river has influenced the lives of citizens so much that it is traditionally called "Mother River". One of the traditional merchant streets at the canal that leads from the castle is Shikemichi. One of the merchant neighbourhoods was Funairi-chō, located south of the castle.