The is a historical wooden

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...

in the city of

Iwakuni file:20100724 Iwakuni 5235.jpg, 270px, Kintai Bridge file:Iwakuni city center area Aerial photograph.2008.jpg, 270px, Iwakuni city center is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of ...

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The pedestrian bridge was built in 1673, spanning the

Nishiki River The is a 110 km long river, the longest in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The Nishiki is the main river in a larger system measuring 331.8 km in total. The government of Japan classifies it as a second-class river system. The Nishiki Riv ...

in a series of five wooden arches. The bridge is located on the foot of Mt. Yokoyama, at the top of which lies

Iwakuni Castle is a replica castle in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan. The nearby Kintai Bridge was originally a footbridge over the Nishiki River to the main gate of the castle. History This castle was originally constructed by Kikkawa Hiroie from 1601 to 1608 as ...

. Kikkou Park, which includes the bridge and castle, is a popular tourist destination in Japan, particularly during the Cherry blossom festival in the spring and the autumn color change of the Japanese maples. It was declared a

National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

in 1922.

History

The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States 51 Suo

After

was completed in 1608 by

Kikkawa Hiroie (December 7, 1561 – October 22, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Hiroie's father was Kikkawa Motoharu and his mother was a daughter of Kumagai Nobunao. Biography He initially ...

, the first lord of

Iwakuni Domain 270px, Kikkawa Tsunemasa, ''daimyo'' of Iwakuni 270px, Reconstructed ''tenshu'' of Iwakuni Castle was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now southeastern Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was centered around ...

, a series of wooden bridges was built. However, most of them were destroyed by floods several times before the construction of Kintai Bridge. Afterwards, Kintai Bridge was built by the third lord, Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, in 1673. The new stone piers replaced the old wooden ones. Though thought to be flood-proof, the bridge was destroyed by a flood the next year. As a result, the stone piers were redesigned for greater strength, and a special tax was created to maintain the bridge. This maintenance involved periodically rebuilding the bridge: every 20 years for three spans in the middle, every 40 years for two spans that connect to the banks. Consequently, the footbridge remained intact for 276 years, until washed away again in a flood from typhoon Kijia in 1950. It was in a weakened state at the time, as the Japanese had stopped maintaining the bridge during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1953, the bridge was reconstructed similar to the original. In 1922, the bridge was declared a national treasure. Between 2001 and 2004, all five bridge girders were restored for the first time in 50 years.

Architecture

The bridge is composed of five sequential wooden arch bridges on four stone piers as well as two wooden piers on the dry riverbed where the bridge begins and ends. Each of the three middle spans is 35.1 meters long, while the two end spans are 34.8 meters, for a total length of about 175 meters with a width of 5 meters.

Original construction

For nearly three hundred years, the many versions of the bridge stood without the use of metal nails. This was achieved by the careful fitting of the wooden parts and by the construction of the thick girders by clamping and binding them together with metal belts. The main wooden parts of the bridge were covered by sheets of copper for additional durability.

Flood protection

The shape and weight of the bridge made it extremely strong at the top, but incredibly weak from underneath. To address concern that flood waters rushing along the river would destroy the bridge in its entirety, the bridge was designed so that the wooden pathway merely "floats" on top of its frame using

mortise and tenon A mortise and tenon (occasionally mortice and tenon) is a Woodworking joints, joint that connects two pieces of wood or other material. Woodworking, Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly ...

joints. This allowed rising flood waters to lift out the wooden pathway and carry it off down stream while sparing the main structure.

References

External links

Kintai Bridge on bridge-info.org

Iwakuni Tourism

Pictures of Kintai-kyo

Iwakuni Kankou.com
{{Coord, 34.167603, 132.178367, type:landmark, display=title Places of Scenic Beauty Wooden bridges in Japan Tourist attractions in Yamaguchi Prefecture Transport buildings and structures in Yamaguchi Prefecture Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Toll bridges in Japan Arch bridges in Japan Rebuilt buildings and structures in Japan