Hōrai Bridge
History
The Hōrai Bridge is on the Edo period route of the Tōkaidō, connecting Edo with Kyoto. The Tokugawa shogunate expressly forbid the construction of any bridge or ferry service over the Ōi River for defensive purposes, forcing travelers to wade across its shallows. However, whenever the river flooded due to strong or long rains, crossing the river was impossible. During period of long rains, visitors were sometimes forced to stay at Shimada-juku or Kanaya-juku, sometimes for several days. Following the Meiji restoration, former samurai loyal to the Tokugawa clan settled in the Makinohara area and began to develop tea plantations. To facilitate crossing the river, this bridge was built in 1879. In 1965 its wooden pilings were replaced by concrete, but its wooden top was retained.
References
- ^ "Longest wooden footbridge". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
- ^ Learn the longest wooden footbridge in the world Hōrai Bridge is (In Japanese) ""学ぶ 世界一長い木造歩道橋 蓬莱橋って"". Anata no Shizuoka Shimbun. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ Geographic photos of this month "Hōrai Bridge" A bridge has supported Japanese modernization (In Japanese) ""今月の地理写真 蓬莱橋 -近代日本を支えた橋-"". Rissho University. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ "Hōrai Bridge" Official visitors guide by Shimada city Kanko Kyokai (In Japanese) ""蓬莱橋 観光情報 一般社団法人島田市観光協会"". Shimada City Tourist Association. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
External links
- Media related to Horai Bridge (Shimada) at Wikimedia Commons
- The Hourai Bridge
- Shimada City home page
- Shizuoka Prefecture home page Archived 2023-01-16 at the Wayback Machine