The is a bridge crossing the

Shinano River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

in Niigata,

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

via National Route 7. The current bridge was constructed in 1929, and was designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property in July 2004.

Outline

The current bridge contains six arches and is made of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

with

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

siding. It is 306.9 meters long, 21.9 meters wide, and has two car lanes in each direction. The Bandai Bridge is a prime example of large-scale concrete arch bridges from the Showa Period, and was strong enough not to collapse during the

1964 Niigata earthquake Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

which destroyed large sections of Niigata. Today the Bandai Bridge is considered the symbol of the city of Niigata and is one of the city's most scenic spots, especially when lit up at night. In April 2004, the bridge celebrated its 75th anniversary by being designated as a national Important Cultural Property. This same year, much of the bridge was reconstructed to resemble the original model.

Geography

The Bandai Bridge is located on the

, and is separated from the river mouth by only the Yachiyo and Ryuto bridges. North of the bridge are the

Furumachi , literally meaning "Old Town", is the name of a central business district in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The district is centered on Furumachi-dori street and extends north to Honcho-dori street and south to Nishibori-dori street. ...

and Honcho shopping districts, and south of the bridge are the Bandai shopping district, the Niigata West Port (Bandaijima) district, and

Niigata Station is a major railway station in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station is at the centre of Niigata city, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshu. It forms the central station for the ...

Japan National Route 7 is a major north-south National highways of Japan, national highway on the Sea of Japan side of the island of Honshū, Japan. It traverses four Prefectures of Japan, prefectures, with Niigata Prefecture, Niigata at its southern end, then Yamagat ...

crosses the bridge, connecting

to the areas south of the Shinano River.

First incarnation

The first Bandai Bridge was constructed out of wood in 1886, during the

Meiji Period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, and was the first bridge to cross the

. Because of the inconvenience of crossing the river by boat between Niigata and former Nuttari, the heads of Niigata Nippo newspaper and Daishi Ginko bank oversaw construction to encourage trade between the two communities. The original bridge was 782 meters long, the longest bridge in Japan at the time, and 2.5 times the current length as the river has grown significantly narrower since. Possibly because of high tolls on the privately owned bridge, in the beginning there were few users. In 1900, the prefectural government took over control of the bridge's finances and made it toll-free. In March 1908, a major fire which destroyed 1,770 houses in Niigata also destroyed more than half of the Bandai Bridge.

Second incarnation

The second Bandai Bridge was completed in December 1909, and quickly became the transportation hub of the growing city of Niigata. The new bridge was built using planks recovered from the remains of the 1908 fire as a base, and was the same size as the original model. Pieces of the first and second incarnations of the Bandai Bridge can be seen on display in the underground crossing of the Bandai shopping district.

Third (current) incarnation

Due to dilapidation of the second bridge, a third version was constructed in 1929 using

. Because of water diversion projects along the Shinano River throughout the early 20th century, the water level at the time of construction had decreased from 770 meters to 270 meters since the construction of the first bridge. Because of this, the third bridge was far shorter yet wider in order to allow for easy passage of automobiles. On August 28, 1948, during the

Niigata Festival may refer to: * Niigata Prefecture, Japan **Niigata (city), the capital of the prefecture * Albirex Niigata, the city's professional football club * Niigata Transys, a Japanese railway vehicle manufacturer * Niigata Stadium, an athletic stadium in ...

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

accident on the bridge caused over 100 spectators to fall into the Shinano River, resulting in 29 casualties. Since then, all bridges across the river have become off limits to spectators during fireworks shows. On June 16, 1964, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit Niigata, causing major damage to nearly all bridges on the Shinano River. Although the base of the Bandai Bridge on both sides sunk approximately 1.2 meters, the bridge was left intact. Because automobiles were still able to cross the Bandai Bridge (and only the Bandai Bridge), it allowed for quick aid to arrive for many on the isolated north side of the river. In 1985, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first bridge, new lanterns were added to the bridge to decorate the night skies. In August 1989, a folk-dance procession across the bridge was started as part as the annual Niigata Festival, and is now one of the festival's trademarks.

Footnotes

References

* * * * {{Coord, 37, 55, 10, N, 139, 03, 11, E, type:landmark, display=title Bridges in Japan Bridges completed in 1886 Bridges completed in 1909 Bridges completed in 1929 Buildings and structures in Niigata (city) Roads in Niigata Prefecture Former toll bridges in Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan 1886 establishments in Japan 1909 establishments in Japan 1929 establishments in Japan