Bandai Bridge
Encyclopedia
The is a bridge crossing the Shinano River
in Niigata
, Niigata Prefecture
, Japan
via Route 7
. The current bridge was constructed in 1929, and was designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property
in July 2004.
with granite
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
which destroyed large sections of Niigata
.
Today the Bandai Bridge is considered the symbol 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 nationally important cultural property. This same year, much of the bridge was reconstructed to resemble the original model.
, and is separated from the river mouth by only the Yachiyo and Ryuto bridges. North of the bridge are the Furumachi and Honcho shopping districts, and south of the bridge are the Bandai shopping district, the Niigata West Port (Bandaijima) district, and Niigata Station
. Route 7
crosses the bridge, connecting Niigata station to the areas south of the Shinano River.
, and was the first bridge to cross the Shinano River
.
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.
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.
. 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 a fireworks
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.
Shinano River
The Shinano River is the longest and largest river in Japan. It flows from Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture. It is called the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture....
in Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
via Route 7
Route 7 (Japan)
National Route 7 is an important highway on the Sea of Japan side of the island of Honshū, Japan. It links the prefectural capitals of Niigata, Akita, and Aomori...
. The current bridge was constructed in 1929, and was designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
in July 2004.
Outline
The current bridge contains six arches and is made of reinforced concreteReinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
with granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
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
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
, and was strong enough not to collapse during the 1964 Niigata earthquake
1964 Niigata earthquake
The 1964 Niigata earthquake struck at 13:01 local time on 16 June. The epicenter was on the continental shelf off the northwest coast of Honshu in Niigata Prefecture, about 50 km north of the city of Niigata...
which destroyed large sections of Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
.
Today the Bandai Bridge is considered the symbol of Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
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 nationally 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 Shinano RiverShinano River
The Shinano River is the longest and largest river in Japan. It flows from Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture. It is called the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture....
, and is separated from the river mouth by only the Yachiyo and Ryuto bridges. North of the bridge are the Furumachi and Honcho shopping districts, and south of the bridge are the Bandai shopping district, the Niigata West Port (Bandaijima) district, and Niigata Station
Niigata Station
is a train station operated by East Japan Railway Company in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan. It opened on May 3, 1904.The station is at the centre of Niigata city, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshū...
. Route 7
Route 7 (Japan)
National Route 7 is an important highway on the Sea of Japan side of the island of Honshū, Japan. It links the prefectural capitals of Niigata, Akita, and Aomori...
crosses the bridge, connecting Niigata station to the areas south of the Shinano River.
First Incarnation
The first Bandai Bridge was constructed out of wood in 1886, during the Meiji PeriodMeiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, and was the first bridge to cross the Shinano River
Shinano River
The Shinano River is the longest and largest river in Japan. It flows from Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture. It is called the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture....
.
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 reinforced concreteReinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
. Because of water diversion projects along the Shinano River
Shinano River
The Shinano River is the longest and largest river in Japan. It flows from Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture. It is called the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture....
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 a fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
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.