Hijiribashi, Holy Bridge, Ochanomizu, Tokyo. Here meet East and West

 

Hijiribashi, Holy Bridge, Ochanomizu, Tokyo. Here meet East and West

26Jan13

The Holy Bridge is constructed at the north side of the Ochanomizu Station, Tokyo, at Chuo Line.
Under flows the Outer Moat of the Imperial Palace, constructed in the medieval period, some 550 years ago.

The Edo Castle ever had the vast area in the central part of Tokyo.
Now the Inner Moat is perfectly remained but the Outer Moat is partly remained mainly in the north part of Tokyo.
Around Ochanomizu area now become the typical cultural zone of Tokyo, where many universities and colleges are gathered.

Why the bridge named Holy? It is caused by the bridge’s location.
At the northern part of the moat, there is the Yushima-seido, the Holy Building of Confucius which was constructed in 1690 and the southern part, there is the Nicolai-do, Cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox Church. So the bridge connects East and West, the two meet on the bridge. 

The church was first built in 1891 and rebuilt in 1929 after the Kanto Plain Great Earthquake occurred in 1923. The name Nicolai is originated by the founder Nicolai Primate of Khristos Orthodox Church of Japan. The bridge was also constructed in 1925 after the Earthquake. This Holy Bridge is one of the most fantastic old-fashioned bridges in Tokyo.
I love these old Tokyo’s images.

New architectures will be constructed one after another , but the old ones are never able to be constructed again as the same style, all of which have the long and historical atmosphere of Tokyo.

24 July 2012
25 January 2013 Text added
13 February 2020 Text added

Hijiribashi, Holy Bridge, Ochanomizu, Tokyo
I love the place since a student, learning classical Chinese linguistics.