Kurume History Walks
KurumeNo.13

noishibashi

Stone Bridges in Kurume 久留米の石橋

Ishiura-ohashi Bridge in Ohashi History Park

Ishiura-ohashi Bridge (石浦大橋; at Airaku Ohashimachi)
It was built in 1698, across the Kose River, which is a tributary of the Chikugo River, on the road from

Kurume to Bungo Province. It is 15.90 meters long and 4.03 meters wide. The material is Yamakita Stone,
which was brought from the Yamakita area of today’s Ukiha City. According to the book “Travel in Chikugo”
which was published in 1802, the deck used to be earth-paved on the logs.
They fixed it many times. An inscription on a central girder shows that the first repair was carried out in
1765. In the early twentieth century, they reinforced it with concrete. But in 1973, it was dismantled and removed
because of the risk of flood damage, the difficulty of the road traffic, and the dangerous state caused by a broken
girder. So, the bridge members came to be kept at Daizenji Temple.
In 1981 and 1988, the local citizens submitted their request about its reconstruction to the municipal
government. They expected to make it a symbol of the area. In 1992, the consultation between both and theconsideration concerning a place to rebuild it started. In 1998, after the research and the repairing works, theOhashi History Park, in which the bridge was reconstructed, was opened to the public.

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Ishiura Ohashi Bridge in 1965

Inscription of the first construction period: Built in December 1698

Access: 6 minutes’ walk north from the bus stop “Airakudanchi-mae” of Nishitetsu Bus

Korasan Mitaraibashi Bridge (高良山御手洗橋; at Umegatani, Miimachi)
A stone bridge over the Mitaraiike Pond was built in 1803. It is 10 meters long, 4 meters wide, and made of

Yamakita stone.
The pond is located at the foot of the Korasan Mountain, which has been a sacred place since ancient times.
They also call it “the Hojoike pond”, into which Buddhist monks released fishes in a ritual.
Once, it used to be marshy. And there used to be an earth-paved bridge. It is said that a new bridge, thepresent one, was constructed around 1726-35 (Kyoho Era), and a Buddhist scripture was buried as an offering
at a little mound in the pond. Kurume Domain appears to have maintained it. An official book of the domains’s
history described that a wooden bridge was constructed in November 1772.

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Korasan Mitaraibashi Bridge

Today’s bridge has old ornamental railing tops (giboshi) which bear an inscription of “Korasan Mitaraibashi
Bridge, in June 1773”. We presume that they were reused for handing down the history. They are precious
properties made of gold-plated copper by the Ueki family, the government caster.

Stone Bridge of Gokoku-jinja Shrine (五穀神社の石橋; at Torihokamachi)
There is a stone arched bridge across the Hojo-ike Pond, in the precinct of the Gokoku-jinja Shrine which

was established in 1749 by Arima Yoriyuki, the seventh lord.
It was almost the domain government which used to manage it, while local citizens donated the main hall,
the worship hall and the bridge in 1808.
Originally 9.6 meters long and 2.8 meters wide, it became 11.5 meters long due to the reinforcement work.
Stonemasons from the Nagano area of today’s Yame City made this bridge with Nagano stone (Tuff stone). Itproves their skill of bridge building.
The iron ornamental railing tops were donated after World War II.
It was designated a Municipal Cultural Property in 2000.

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Stone Bridge of Gokoku-jinja Shrine

ACCESS to Korasan Mitarai-bashi Bridge:

ACCESS to Stone Bridge of Gokoku-jinja Shrine:

10 minutes’ walk east from the bus stop “Miimachi”

A short walk north from the bus stop “Gokokujinja” ofof Nishitetsu Bus.

Nishitetsu Bus.

Cultural Properties Protection Department of Kurume
Address: 15-3 Jonan Kurume Fukuoka Japan 830-8520
Tel: 0942-30-9225
Translated in July 2020
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