🌙THE MOON CROSSING BRIDGE🌉
Blossoms at Arashiyama's (嵐山) 180m long Togetsukyō Bridge (渡月橋).
It is said that one night, glancing across the Ōi River (大堰川) from the Kameyama Palace (亀山殿), Emperor Kameyama (亀山天皇 1249-1305) was bemused by an odd illusion...
#京都 #Kyoto #Arashiyama #嵐山 #Togetsukyo #渡月橋 #Japan #moonviewing
The emperor quickly penned a poem that would immortalize the image...
くまなき月の渡るに似る
"It looked as if the clear moon was walking over the bridge".
The name 'Moon Crossing Bridge', Togetsukyō (渡月橋) in Japanese, soon stuck.
Nao-san shows off just how blustery it was on Togetsukyō🌪️🍃🤣
The bridge was old by the time of Emperor Kameyama.
In 836 the Kōryū-ji (広隆寺) monk Dōshō (道昌), having spent months repairing Hōrin-ji (法輪寺), the old Kadono Weir (葛野大堰) and the Fushihara Embankment (罧原堤), embarked on creating the first bridge across the Ōi-gawa.
Painted a protective vermilion colour, the bridge (then 100m upstream from its current position) was known as Hōrinji-bashi (法輪寺橋), Ōhashi (大橋 'Great Bridge') and Miyuki-bashi (御幸橋 'Imperial Outing Bridge') before Emperor Kameyama settled on Togetsukyō (渡月橋).
Over the centuries the bridge has been swept away by floods on numerous occasions.
In 1606 Togetsukyō (渡月橋) was moved downstream to its current position by the wealthy merchant Suminokura Ryōi (角倉了以).
#角倉了以 #SuminokuraRyoi #Togetsukyo #渡月橋 #bridge #Japan #Kyoto
Ryōi was pivotal in opening up and managing many of Kyōto's rivers.
Along stretches of the Hozu-gawa (保津川), which becomes the Ōi-gawa (大堰川) and then the Katsura-gawa (桂川), he cleared the waterway to hasten the movement of lumber and produce into the city.
The river upstream of Togetsukyō is called the Ōi-gawa and downstream the Katsura-gawa. It is known as the Hozu-gawa around the Kameoka and retains this name until it reaches Arashiyama (嵐山).
#Hozugawa #Oigawa #Katsuragawa #Arashiyama #Togetsukyo #保津川 #大堰川 #桂川
There are a handful of superstitions connected to the bridge.
Many believe that it's bad luck to meet at Togetsukyō on a first date...perhaps because historically bridges are so often connected in people's minds to partings and farewells.
Camellia Tea Ceremony