28.Traditional Building Preservation District in Wakimachiminami-machi, Mima City
■Commentary
Wakimachiminami-machi, Mima City is located at an important position for transportation where the Muya Highway running east and west through Awa intersects the highway to Sanuki. It has prospered as a distribution center for Ai since the Mid-Edo era. Its townscape is called the "Udatsu Townscape" because of the luxurious “udatsu” (fire barriers) lining the sides of the heavy tiled-roof buildings with mortar walls. The Japanese expression "Udatsu ga agaranai" (meaning “no hope of getting ahead”), comes from the fact that these udatsu were quite expensive to install and only the wealthy could afford them. At the time this area prospered from Ai production, the Yoshino River was located south of the area, and the people there were able utilize the Yoshino River for transportation. In 1988, the government designated the area as an important preserved district of traditional buildings.