Uji
Uji Bridge Monument(danpi)


Designated Important Cultural Properties
Asuka Period
One of the Three Old Monuments in Japan

The Uji Bridge is said to have been first erected by the monk Doto of Gango-ji Temple in Nara in 646. It is one of the three oldest bridges in Japan, with the other two being the Karahashi Bridge in Seta on the coastal area of Lake Biwa and the Yamazaki Bridge.
In the compound of the Hashi-dera (Bridge Temple) situated on the south side of the bridge is a stone monument bearing an inscription of the story of the construction of the bridge written in special sonorous style. The monument consists of two parts: the upper one, which is assumed to have been made in the Nara Period (710-794), and the lower one, which was added later. After the monument lay buried for a long time for some unknown reason, its top part (one third of the original) was discovered in 1791 and the lost bottom part (two thirds) was reconstructed under the advice of five scholars according to a royal chronicle, resulting in the reconstruction of the whole monument in 1793.
This is one of the oldest monuments in Japan with the other two being "Takonohi" in Gumma Prefecture and "Tagajonohi" in Miyagi Prefecture.

Tourist Information

Source: The Uji municipal government

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