Aiau Bridge, Girder bridge over the Dōtonbori River in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan
Aiau Bridge carries Tamaya-chō-suji across the Dōtonbori River in Chūō-ku, Osaka. The current bridge, built in December 1962 and widened in September 1983, is 42 metres long and 15 metres wide. The widening added a small plaza on the bridge deck, and steps to the Tombori River Walk were added in 2004.
The bridge was originally built in the 1680s and underwent multiple reconstructions and modernizations. Its current form was completed in 1962.
The bridge was chosen for the "Naniwa's 50 Famous Bridges" list by the Kansai branch of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. Its name is read Aiau-bashi, though Aioi-bashi and other variants are heard; Osaka Metro signs at the nearby station write Aioi-bashi. Each summer the Sōemonchō shopping arcade association holds its Sōemonchō summer festival here.
The bridge accommodates traffic in both directions and provides direct access between neighboring areas. It sits conveniently positioned between two other major river crossings.
At the north end stands a haiku stone erected in June 1961, carved with a verse by Kabuki playwright Kema Nanboku; a companion stone lists some 30 patrons, including painter Sugi Tatehiko. The bridge also carries the nickname "Enkiri-bashi" (severance bridge): in the Meiji era rumor held that couples who crossed it would part, so prostitutes avoided it and wedding processions did not pass over it.
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