The area in which Imabari exists had long been a strategic point for the control of the Seto Inland Sea. As a result, it was controlled by a variety of forces throughout the warring period, including a number of inland sea pirate forces. The city was officially founded on February 11, 1920.
On January 16, 2005 11 towns and villages from Ochi District merged with Imabari to form the new city of Imabari. As a result, there are no more villages within Ehime Prefecture. The municipalities participating in this merger were:
� Imabari
� Asakura
� Hakata
� Kamiura
� Kikuma
� Miyakubo
� Namikata
� ?mishima
� ?nishi
� Sekizen
� Tamagawa
� Yoshiumi
