Eight Bridges

TheEight Bridges(Japanese:八橋,Hepburn:Yatsuhashi), inJapanese literature, was a historical and semi-legendary construction inMikawa Province(modern-dayAichi Prefecture) mentioned inJapanese poetry. It was described inThe Tales of Ise, a collection of poems written during theHeian period,and became a well known literary motif in Japan. Over time the bridge, which became stylised into a zig-zag shape, was incorporated into a large range of art forms:kimonos, writing boxes, screens and porcelain,ukiyo-eprints and garden landscapes. In the modern day, it can also be found as an architectural motif of Japanese-style constructions abroad.
The Eight Bridges originates fromThe Tales of Ise– a collection of episodes, sometimes attributed to the poetAriwara no Narihara(825–880), about the life of an unidentified man in the capital and his journey into Eastern Japan.InMikawa, the man and his companions stop to rest beside the Eight Bridges which fords eight channels that run through a marsh filled with irises:
There is little description of the shape of the Eight Bridges inThe Tales of Ise, and it is unclear how it became specifically associated with the zig-zag shape.
The Eight Bridges is anutamakura(poem-pillow), or famous place that is repeatedly referred to in literature.  Travellers would seek out the Eight Bridges and would often record their response to the place with a poem.Numerous references to the Eight Bridges can be seen in Japanese literature, as inSarashina Diary,The Tale of the HeikeandThe Tale of Chikusai:
1.Sarashina Diarywas written by thedaughter of Sugawara no Takasue, most likely in her fifties, recounting a journey she took from the capital to Kazusa in 1020, when she was a twelve-year-old girl.In this journey she passed several famous sites including the Eight Bridges (Yatsuhashi), which she found disappointing:
2.The Tale of the Heikeis an epic about the power struggle between theHeikeandGenjiclans that marked the start of theKamakura period(1185–1333).The Tale of Heikedirectly references the Eight Bridges' origin by mentioning the poet Narihara (to whomThe Tales of Iseis attributed) and by also using the simile of the spider's legs:
3.The Tale of Chikusai, published around 1624, recounts Chikusai and his manservant's journeys from Edo to Kyoto.Although the Eight Bridges was long gone by the time Chikusai visits, he still claims to be able to see its foundations, highlighting the importance of mythology over actuality when visitingutamakura:
The Eight Bridges design was gradually incorporated into a large range of Japanese arts and craft, as the literary allusion became a specific motif. It can be found on screens, writing boxes and kimonos. The famousIrises at Yatsuhashipair of six-panel folding screens byOgata Kōrindepicts the Eight Bridges design running, between clumps of blue irises, diagonally across the screens against a background of gold leaf.A writing box, also made by Ogata Kōrin in the 18th century, depicts the Eight Bridges running through golden reeds with mother-of-pearl irises and is designated a Japanese national treasure.The screen and writing box were both luxury items, but the Eight Bridges motif can also be found on more affordable items, such as prints and kimonos.Katsushika Hokusai's printAncient View of Yatsuhashi in Mikawa Province, part of hisRemarkable Views of Famous Bridges in Various Provincesseries, shows numerous people using the Eight Bridges to cross a swamp of irises.The pattern bookOnhiinagata(1666) contains a design for a kimono with the Eight Bridges motif running diagonally across the back, beside irises.
Initially this literary motif as applied to arts and crafts was confined to goods used by the elite of Japanese society, but during the Edo period it became known and used by ordinary people.
Actual or physical bridges composed of eight segments can be found in Japanese gardens both inside and outside of Japan. The bridge consists of eight wooden or stone planks arranged in a zig-zag pattern, atop piles of wood or stakes.The winding zig-zag pattern promotes a slow crossing that allows different vistas to be admired.Eight Bridges structures are often found near irises, as the original was inThe Tales of Ise. Eight Bridges structures can be found in gardens around Japan, includingKoishikawa-KōrakueninTokyo,Kōraku-eninOkayama, andOyama Shrinegarden inKanazawa.
Eight Bridges structures can also be found outside of Japan, in places including theMissouri Botanical Gardenin the United States, theJardín Japonésin Argentina, and theSha-rak-uen, or "place of pleasure and delight", built in 1907 at Cowden Castle in Scotland.The latter garden was commissioned byElla Christie, after returning from a trip to Japan, and the process was overseen byTaki Handa.The garden was praised by Professor Jijo Suzuji, the Eighteenth Hereditary Head of the Soami School of Imperial Design, with the only flaw being the straight bridge, so it was replaced with an Eight Bridges structure.