Postcard from Kintaikyo, Yamaguchi pref., Japan

Hi everybody at Luna,

Magnificent Kintaikyo Bridge

I had a long train journey and I wanted to break it up with a scenic detour - and take another train and a local bus! 

This famous medieval bridge has been on my photographic bucket list for a long time, and I couldn't go past it yet again without stopping by.

Kintaikyo Bridge is a remarkable structure, first contructed in 1673 to replace previous spans across the Nishiki river. Several had been washed away, as indeed was this one in 1950 by typhoon flooding...and it was painstakingly rebuilt to its original design three years later (and subsequently restored 2001-3).

Stone paving & pillars, wooden arches

It truly blends into its surroundings, steep wooden arches atop stone paving & pillars - phenomenal engineering & craftsmanship, intiated by Hiroyoshi Kikkawa (3rd lord of Iwakuni domain).

Dimensions? 210m long along the arch; 193.3m in a straight line. 5m wide, sitting on pillars 6.64m high.

I think you'll agree it's uniquely beautiful, and well worth a detour if you are in the Hiroshima region!

(Thank you Kazumi for teaching my classes - I'm sure I wasn't missed!)