Gallerist's small episodes vol.6 | 10 bridges in Sumida

【YASUNAO Hayashi】 

One thing I started doing after the COVID-19 pandemic hit is this.

I stopped taking the train and started commuting by bicycle.

At first, I started doing this to avoid trains with a large number of people on them, but I've been doing it for three years now.

I enjoy my hour-long commute as leisurely as possible, admiring the seasonal flowers and trees on the way there, and watching the Skytree change its appearance every time I come back.

Speaking of Skytree, you can't get to Kyobashi from the eastern part of the 23 wards where I live without crossing the Sumida River somewhere. Did you know that all the bridges over the Sumida River are very unique and have different designs?

So today, I would like to introduce a bridge over the Sumida River that I have recently come to like.

Most of the bridges over the Sumida River were burned down in the Great Kanto Earthquake, but were rebuilt at the beginning of the Showa era, and are soon celebrating their 100th anniversary. Kototoi Bridge, Azuma Bridge, Komagata Bridge, Umaya Bridge, Kuramae Bridge, Ryogoku Bridge, Shin-Ohashi Bridge, Kiyosu Bridge, Eitai Bridge, and Kachidoki Bridge, which were built before the war, are called the Sumida Ten Bridges and were planned at almost the same time, but each was built with a different design using cutting-edge technology as a symbol of the restoration of the imperial capital.

At the time of the bridge's construction, the construction of capital ships was prohibited due to the Washington Naval Treaty, so there was a surplus of high-quality steel, which was reused to build the bridges. Among them, Eitai Bridge and Kiyosu Bridge, located the furthest downstream, are said to have taken up 80% of the construction budget for the Ten Bridges as the gates to the imperial capital. Incidentally, the arch of Eitai Bridge is designed so that if you flip it over, it will fit perfectly with Kiyosu Bridge.

Personally, I really like Kiyosu Bridge. Its small but solid design, which is different from similar suspension bridges such as Rainbow Bridge and Awaji Ohashi Bridge, is very elegant and makes my heart flutter. Unfortunately, due to geographical reasons, I don't use it (lol).

I'm sure I saw it on TV, but in the center of the bridge, you can still see the marks of the direct hit of an incendiary bomb during the Great Tokyo Air Raid. I'm also very moved that a 100-year-old iron bridge can still be used like this.

 By the way, the three bridges, Eitai Bridge, Kiyosu Bridge, and the only drawbridge, Kachidoki Bridge, were designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 2007. The best materials and technology at the time of the bridge construction will continue to be a part of our lives, with the help of current technology. Recently, it has been lit up, so the bridge is also beautiful when viewed from the Sumida River Terrace at night. I hope you will enjoy it as an aside from walking around the city.

【 YASUNAO Hayashi 】 

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林田画廊　Hayashida Gallery

10:30am - 18pm
2-6-16 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
TEL：03-3567-7778
WEB：https://www.hayashida-gallery.co.jp/
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"Gallerist's small episodes'' features contributions from unique shopkeepers who set up shops in this artistic town. If you have any interest in art, the town, or anything else, please come visit the owner's shop and listen to what he has to say.

translated by Google translation