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Four Bridges over the Sagami River

Fujino's north and south halves are today joined by four bridges spanning the Sagami (Katsura) River. Clockwise from bottom right, the westernmost bridge is the Sakaigawa-bashi; next, the Benten-bashi; third is Hizure Ôhashi (now the main north-south link to the town's two halves); and finally at upper right, the Katsuse-bashi on Fujino's eastern edge. Forming a border between the bulk of Lake Sagami and the narrower Sagami River, Katsuse-bashi is currently the oldest, and the sole remaining single-lane bridge of the four. Begun in March, 1942, and completed in 1944 with a wooden span, the bridge was straffed by American fighter planes in the last days of W.W. II, but the concrete supporting towers at the two ends survived and were reused when the bridge was rebuilt in steel in 1959 (patched over bullet holes are still visible). A new two-lane bridge is currently under construction just a few meters upstream. Fujino had no bridges across the river at all until 1922, when the first light wooden bridge was strung across the river at the location of the current Sakaigawa bridge (just below the Iwatateo Shrine). Even until the mid-twentieth century, people crossing between Yoshino and the Hizure districts had to be carried across by small, hand-rowed ferry boats (watashibune) which were provided at six locations through the Fujino area. Older neighbors of mine recall that as young men, they had to disrobe and swim across the river with their clothes on their heads on those occasions they returned home after the watashibune had closed down for the night. Following construction of the first Sakaigawa Bridge in 1922, the next bridge had to wait until 1944, when the aforementioned Katsuse-bashi was built in conjunction with the damming of the Sagami River. With the creation of Lake Sagami, the Sagami River also became deeper and wider, leading to the need to replace the old ferry boats with bridges in other locations as well. The first Benten-bashi just below Fujino station was built in 1946, and the original Hizure Ôhashi was built in 1957. Interestingly, the Hizure Ôhashi is today considered the "main" bridge through town, but it was the last one built. Before the current two-lane bridge was completed in April, 1994, Hizure Ôhashi was a single-lane crossing located about 100 meters east of its present location, just beside the now-defunct Sun Hills Hotel.

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Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
by Norman Havens nhavens@gol.com
Updated: April 20, 2002

URL: http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/