Five Bridges of Amakusa
Encyclopedia
are five road bridge
s at the south tip of Japan
, linking the Kyushu
mainland (Kumamoto Prefecture
) and the Amakusa
Islands. The bridges connect to the islands of Ooyano-jima, Nagaura-jima, Ike-jima, and Maeshima, and were completed on September 24, 1966. The Five Bridges gave hope and confidence in the development of Japan's bridge-construction technology, and changed the lives of those living at the Amakusa Islands (see survey below: Evaluation). Many tourists come to view the scenic beauty of the many islands, and the roads are called the Amakusa Pearl Line, based on the products of cultured pearls.
1000cc series and the Toyota Corolla
1100cc series, foretelling the so-called "My Car" age. The Five Bridges started as toll road
s and were expected to continue for 39 years, but the explosive motorization collected tolls much faster, and ended the payment after nine years (in 1975).
peninsula, Kumamoto Prefecture
with Maeshima island. A continuous truss bridge
of pearl color, it is 502 metres (1,647 ft)), 42 metres (138 ft) above sea level, and 6.5 metres (21.3 ft)).
of pale yellow color.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s at the south tip of 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...
, linking the Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
mainland (Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
) and the Amakusa
Amakusa
Amakusa is a series of islands belonging to Japan, off the west coast of Kyushu . The biggest of the Amakusa islands is Shimoshima Island, 26.5 miles long and 13.5 miles in extreme width...
Islands. The bridges connect to the islands of Ooyano-jima, Nagaura-jima, Ike-jima, and Maeshima, and were completed on September 24, 1966. The Five Bridges gave hope and confidence in the development of Japan's bridge-construction technology, and changed the lives of those living at the Amakusa Islands (see survey below: Evaluation). Many tourists come to view the scenic beauty of the many islands, and the roads are called the Amakusa Pearl Line, based on the products of cultured pearls.
Significance
The timing of the completion of these bridges was good, as the popularization of automobiles in Japanese families started around the same year, with the launch of the Nissan SunnyNissan Sunny
The Nissan Sunny is a small car from Nissan. It was launched in 1966 as the Datsun 1000 and although production in Japan ended in 2004, it remains in production today for the African, American and Sri Lankan markets. In the US, the later models were known as the Nissan Sentra; in Mexico, the Sunny...
1000cc series and the Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
1100cc series, foretelling the so-called "My Car" age. The Five Bridges started as toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
s and were expected to continue for 39 years, but the explosive motorization collected tolls much faster, and ended the payment after nine years (in 1975).
Bridges
In Japanese, a bridge is known as a hashi, but when the word "hashi" is used after words, the forms "bashi" or "kyō" may be used instead, depending on the situation, sometimes interchangeably.Tenmon Bashi (or Tenmon Kyō)
This bridge connects Misumi, the tip of the UtoUto
Uto may refer to:* Uto, Kumamoto, a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan* Uto District, Kumamoto, a district in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan* Untrioctium, , an unsynthesized chemical element with atomic number 138...
peninsula, Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
with Maeshima island. A continuous truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
of pearl color, it is 502 metres (1,647 ft)), 42 metres (138 ft) above sea level, and 6.5 metres (21.3 ft)).
Ooyano Bashi
It connects Oyano-jima and Nagaura-jima. It is a 249 by 17 m (816.9 by 55.8 ft) Langer Truss bridgeTruss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
of pale yellow color.
Nakano Hashi
This bridge connects Nagaura-jima and Ooike-jima islands. It is a rigid-frame bridge, of concrete color, measuring 361 by 15 m (1,184.4 by 49.2 ft).Maeshima Bashi
This is a rigid-frame bridge of concrete color, connecting Ooike-jima and Maeshima. It is 520 by 9 m (1,706 by 29.5 ft).Matsushima Bashi (Hashi)
This is a pipe-arch bridge, painted in red, connecting Maeshima and Matsushimachō, Aizu, Kami-Amakusa. It is 178 metres (584 ft)), 17 metres (55.8 ft)), and 6.5 m (21 ft).History
The following are major events in the history of the bridges:- 1936: Kumamoto PrefectureKumamoto Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
Assemblyman Jishu Mori (1890–1973) stated the need for bridges connecting Amakusa Islands and mainland of Kyushu. - 1954: Kumamoto Prefecture started the investigation of Amakusa bridges.
- 1956: Japan Traffic Corporation also began investigation of Amakusa bridges.
- 1956: Japan Traffic Corporation created a branch for the construction of bridges.
- September 24, 1966: Service of the bridges started as a toll road.
- August 10, 1975: The payment as a toll road was discontinued.
Evaluation of the Five Bridges
The road agency evaluated the construction of the Five bridges of Amakusa in 1976 (10 years later), by questionnaires. The results were:- Traffic networks greatly improved. 93.4%
- Traffic accidents greatly increased. 93.2%
- Trade greatly increased. 75.6%
- Amakusa area greatly developed. 68.8%
- Public hazards increased. 67.9%
- Oneness of Kyushu and Amakusa. 65.4%
- Shopping became convenient. 60.3%
- Living conditions improved. 43.7%
- Toll road fares too high. 41.6% (toll road discontinued on August 10, 1975)
- Public morals deteriorated. 32.1%
- Income of people increased. 22.1%
- Oneness of Amakusa increased. 21.9%
- Increase of jobs. 16.3%
- Prices of commodities lowered. 10.2%