Nihonbashi

Nihonbashi. Woodblock print by Hiroshige, c. 1833-1834

Nihonbashi (日本橋; literally Japan Bridge), also romanized as Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō in Tokyo, Japan. The district grew up around the bridge of the same name. The bridge connects two sides of the Nihonbashi River. A series of bridges at the same site have had the same name since the 17th century.

Traditionally, all distances in Japan are measured from the centerpoint of the Nihonbashi Bridge. This custom began in the Edo period.

History

Marker at center of Nihonbashi

In the Edo period, the Nihonbashi Bridge was the start of Tōkaidō road which connected Edo and Kyoto. The earliest Nihonbashi Bridge was made of wood. It was completed in 1603. The current bridge is made of stone. It was completed in 1911.

In 2009, Nihonbashi was recognized as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan which best show contemporary Japan and its culture in the Heisei period.

Timeline

References

Nihonbashi, 1911
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Chuo City Tourist Association, "Nihonbashi" Archived 2008-03-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-3-25.
  2. ↑ Richie, Donald. (1994). Introducing Tokyo, p. 15.
  3. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Tōkaidō" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 973.
  4. ↑ "100 Landscapes of Heisei announced," Yomiuri Shimbun. May 2009. Retrieved 2012-3-30.
  5. ↑ Traganeou, Jilly. (2004). The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan, p. 230.

Other websites

Media related to Nihonbashi, Tokyo at Wikimedia Commons

35°41′02″N 139°46′28″E / 35.68389°N 139.77444°E / 35.68389; 139.77444