KINTAI BRIDGE

A uniquely shaped historical bridge in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the westernmost end of Honshu. This 193.3 m-long 5 m-wide bridge is composed of five sequential wooden arches, the top of which is about 13 m above the riverbed. The original Kintai Bridge was built in 1673 but was destroyed in a flood next year. Consequently, the bridge was repeatedly destroyed and reconstructed by the local people with an unrelenting passion to build a bridge that will not be washed away. The Kintai Bridge we see today was constructed in 1953 in a similar fashion to the original. If you look at the bridge from underneath, you will see woodwork beautifully arranged in geometrical patterns. The wood joinery techniques utilize the shape and weight of the bridge to increase its strength—a very sophisticated technique even from a modern standpoint. The idea that the essence is hidden from view applies here as well.