| Seiyo 西予市 |
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| — City — | |
| Location of Seiyo in Ehime | |
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Seiyo
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Shikoku |
| Prefecture | Ehime |
| Area | |
| • Total | 514.78 km2 (198.8 sq mi) |
| Population (August 31, 2004) | |
| • Total | 46,908 |
| • Density | 91.12/km2 (236/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) |
| City symbols | |
| - Tree | Japanese beech (山毛欅 Buna) |
| - Flower | Chinese milk vech (蓮華草 Rengesō) |
| - Bird | Japanese bush warbler (鶯 Uguisu) |
| Phone number | (0894) 62-1111 |
| Address | 3-434-1 Unomachi, Uwachō, Seiyo-shi, Ehime-ken 797-8501 |
| Website | City of Seiyo |
Seiyo (西予市 Seiyo-shi) is a city located in Ehime, Japan.
The city was formed on April 1, 2004 from the merger of the towns of Akehama, Nomura, Shirokawa and Uwa, all from Higashiuwa District, and the town of Mikame, from Nishiuwa District.
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In the former town of Uwa there is a natural spring, the water of which is known as Kannon Spring Water (観音水 Kannon-sui). This water was designated as one of Japan's 100 best water sources (名水百選 meisui hyakusen) by the Ministry of the Environment in March 1985. Hiking trails along the spring's mountain rivers are a popular destination in the summertime. The spring is also used for somen nagashi (そうめん流し), a Japanese cuisine where bundles of cold somen noodles are set into a stream of water that flows down a track, with hungry patrons waiting alongside.
The former town of Nomura, now a part of Seiyo, holds an annual sumo competition for children and amateur adults known as the Otoi Sumo (乙亥大相撲 Otoi ōzumō) Tournament. It is held after the Kyūshū basho and usually attracts a few professional sumo wrestlers, such as Tamakasuga, who originally hails from Nomura. The pros do not actually wrestle in serious matches, but instead allow children to go up against them, with comical results.
A wealthy eccentric built a castle on the side of a mountain near the Nomura Dam in the former town of Nomura. It was originally a retreat for parties, complete with overnight lodging facilities. It never achieved any measure of popularity, and the owner eventually donated it to the city of Seiyo. It now lies uninhabited and largely unused.