Cultural column：文化コラム

The Kintaikyo bridge and the Shuhodo cave in Yamaguchi Prefecture,

June 21, 2010 2:33 PM

KONNICHIWA, Japanese-ceramics lovers

I visited his kiln of Saga Prefecture in Kyushu, in order to meet Ceramist TETSUAKI NAKAO this month.
His report will appear in a Magokorodo website by the end of this month.

GYOKU-HO kiln website URL (http://www.gingayu.com/index.php).

I introduce the Kintaikyo bridge and the Shuhodo cave in Yamaguchi Prefecture, before introducing his kiln.

Akiyoshidai is the largest karst plateau in Japan, and has been designated a quasi-national park and Special Natural Monument.

http://english.karusuto.com/

Many souvenir stores which sell ores, Hagi ware, etc. are located in a line with the entrance in Akiyoshido Cave.

Much nature is left behind here and water is very beautiful.

This is an entrance of a cave.
I was overwhelmed by natural power and beauty.

Kintaikyo bridge

The outline of a Kintaikyo bridge

One of the three Japan bridges a "Kintaikyo bridge" A Kintaikyo bridge is a wooden bridge representing Japan.

In the feature, the 5 continuation curvature bridge of the unique figure which otherwise does not look at an example is specified as the scenic spot of the country in 1922.

Bridge length/(210m of distance along the surface) (distance in a straight line of 193.3m), They are 5m in width, and 6.64m in height of abutments of a bridge.

History of a Kintaikyo bridge

First employer HIROIE KIKKAWA of the Iwakuni domain in Iwakuni built the Iwakuni castle in 1608 on the top of Yokoyama who is a ground of the natural fort besieged by the winding Nishiki-river.

Having arranged the residence and the upper samurai mansion at the foot, I put the middle class, a lower samurai's residence, and the man's in the street house on Nishikimi of the Nishiki-river opposite shore, and they formed the Iwakuni castle town.

Yokoyama and Nishikimi were separated by the Nishiki-river with a river width of about 200m, and the bridge was indispensable because of politics.

3rd employer and HIROYOSHI KIKKAWA decide to construct the bridge through which I do not flow into the Nishiki-river which is a flood river.

Then, he got the design for a Kintaikyo bridge for the figure which HIROYOSHI was describing at the Xi Hu sight-seeing magazine and which applies a stone bridge along an island to the hint.

And the Kintaikyo bridge which was an earnest wish of the Iwakuni domain was completed in October, 1673.

Although some bridges were spilt out by the flood next year, I strengthened pavement before the year end, and was rebuilt.

I was not spilt out although the repair and the construct substitute by superannuation were performed for 276 years since then repeatedly.

And while being constructed again, improvement piled up.

However, while many citizens watch, also regrettably, the Kintaikyo bridge has been lost by rise of water of the Nishiki-river by the Kezia typhoon in September, 1950.

Then, on the whole, Kibe's bruise came to be conspicuous, although rebuilt with civic zeal in January, 1953 about 50 years after.

Therefore, reconstruction construction was performed using the construction method which combines a traditional tree by the hand of the craftsman of Iwakuni which inherits tradition from the autumn of 2001.

Five curvature bridges adhered to the beauty of the arch, and were born again in March, 2004.
The structure of the curvature bridge serves as structure whose intensity increases further by the pressure from the bridge upper part by the technique which combines a strong tree.

It is estimated that the technology which constructs a bridge without a bridge pier for between 35m is perfect, in view of present-day bridge engineering, and while being surprised very much by front technical capabilities 300 years or more, I bear the sense of reverence.

If the back of a Kintaikyo bridge is looked up at from the dry river bed of the Nishiki-river, you can see dynamic structure beauty.

Moreover, the abutments of a bridge which carried out the streamline shape to the stream have an effect which reduces the pressure of water, and the pavement with which the circumference of abutments of a bridge was covered has reinforced the root of abutments of a bridge.