The Ryogokubahsi Bridge in Tokyo, Japan was built in 1659, after 100,000 people died when they could not get across the Sumida River during the Great Fire of 1657 during the Meireki era. The Yagenbori Fudoin temple was constructed there to pray for their souls. The first bridge to span the Sumida River south of Asakusa in the former fishing village, once known as Edo, now abounds with skyscrapers and smog that obscure the horizon. The Higashi-Nihombashi area (formerly called Ryogokubahsi Hirokoji) has been a popular entertainment spot for the past 350 years due to the temple, its year-end fair (Dai-shukko Ichi) and New YearÃs shopping bargains. Ryogoku, which means "both provinces," takes its name from the fact that it links Musashi Province (now the Tokyo side) with Shimofusa Province (now the Chiba Prefecture side).
The 8.2-magnitude earthquake known as the "Great Kanto Earthquake" of 1923 damaged the bridge and took the lives of 100,000 people, and another 40,000 went missing. |
