OSAKA - An iron bridge in Kumatori, Osaka Prefecture, has been identified as Japan's oldest existing iron bridge, having been repurposed from a railway bridge constructed 150 years ago. The Omiyabashi bridge, which spans a river in Kumatori, was completed in 1931, measuring approximately 21 meters long and 6 meters wide.
At the time of its completion, a "first crossing" ceremony drew a large crowd, as seen in photographs from the event. It had long been speculated that the bridge might have incorporated parts from a railway bridge originally built for the Osaka-Kobe line, which opened in 1874, but details had remained unclear. Until recently, the Hamakanatsu Bridge in Osaka's Kita Ward, which was dismantled three years ago during construction work on the Hanshin Expressway Yodogawa Left Bank Line, had been considered the oldest existing iron bridge in Japan. However, a recent investigation by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers and related experts confirmed that the same original railway bridge was the source for both structures, leading to the designation of Omiyabashi as the oldest. Yasuyuki Sakashita, who led the study, said he hopes efforts will be made to preserve the bridge as an important civil engineering heritage site.
Source: YOMIURI
