Tokyo Bridge Connects 2 Cathedrals Across Kanda River; Hijiribashi Bridge Attracts Fans of Suzume for Picture Opportunities
The bridge gets its name from the fact that it connects two holy places on the river — Yushima Seido, also known as the Mausoleum of Confucius at Yushima, and Nikolaido, also known as the Holy Resurrection Cathedral. Hijiri means holy in Japanese.
Hijiribashi bridge was built in 1927 as part of reconstruction following the Great Kanto Earthquake that struck in 1923 and destroyed both Yushima Seido and Nikolaido. The bridge, measuring 92 meters long and 22 meters wide, is made of steel and concrete and was designed by Mamoru Yamada, a modernist architect who later designed the Kyoto Tower.Looking up from the Aioizaka slope next to Yushima Seido, the bridge is beautiful with its large, smooth half-moon arches. Four small arches adorn the bridge at each end as if they are playing a rhythm. The simple appearance of the bridge conveys its strong will to withstand earthquakes.
The JR Chuo and Sobu lines and Tokyo Metro's Marunouchi Line run under the bridge. The manmade valley is deep enough for the subway to reach above ground.In the early Edo period (1603-1867), the shogunate had the Sendai clan excavate the valley for flood control. Eventually, the valley became overgrown with plants and trees, giving it the nickname 'Meikei,' and even today, the street just south of the Kanda River is still called Meikei-dori.
Yoshio Awano, 84, who runs Cafe Hotaka along the street where he was born and raised, said, 'Even now, with all the buildings around, a nice breeze passes by when I walk along Hijiribashi.' When he was a child, he climbed up on the wide straight railing. 'I would be scolded now as it was so dangerous,' he said with a laugh.
On weekends, people including foreign tourists line the bridge with cameras. Fans from all over the world gather to take pictures from the same angle that the main character looked down from in Makoto Shinkai's anime film 'Suzume.' The bridge, which has connected two religious structures for nearly 100 years, is now itself cherished as a sacred place.
***Hijiribashi bridge
Address: Between Kanda Surugadai 4-chome, Chiyoda Ward, and Yushima 1-chome, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
Access: Near the Hijiribashi exit of JR Ochanomizu Station
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