Eitai-bashi Bridge

The Eitai-bashi Bridge spans the Sumida River, connecting Fukagawa with Nihonbashi. It is said to have been constructed in 1696 for the 50th birthday of Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, fifth shogun of the Edo Shogunate. It was originally located further upstream; the current bridge was built in 1926 as part of reconstruction after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. The tied-arch bridge imitates the design of the Ludendorff Bridge that once spanned the Rhine River in Germany. There is a muscular beauty in the design, contrasting with feminine curves of the Kiyosu-bashi Bridge. Eitai-bashi and Kiyosu-bashi were the first two bridges built on the Sumida River, respectively. A ten-minute walk from Monzen-nakacho Station on the Tozai Line brings you to the bridge.