Totsuna Bridge: A Steel Arch Over the Surikami River at Iizaka Onsen
Totsuna Bridge (十綱橋, Totsuna-bashi) is a steel arch bridge of 1915 spanning the Surikami River in the Iizaka Onsen hot-spring town, Iizaka-machi, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2020.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that Totsuna Bridge crosses the Surikami, part of the Abukuma River system, with a two-hinged steel arch of 40 metres span and I-section steel girders attached at each bank, for a total length of 52 metres. It is 7.3 metres wide, was renovated in 1967 and belongs to Fukushima Prefecture.
Why It Was Registered
Totsuna Bridge is registration number 07-0237, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency highlights its delicate outline, a braced-rib arch built up from angle sections with vertical members, and ranks it among the oldest surviving steel arch bridges in Japan.
Fukushima Prefecture notes that the bridge was also selected as a civil engineering heritage site in 2004.
What to Look For
The structure reads best from the riverbank rather than from the deck. Two chords joined by diagonal bracing form a shallow braced-rib arch, and vertical members carry the deck.
Slim steel members arching across the Surikami valley between the inn buildings have been part of the Iizaka Onsen scene since the Taisho era.
Visiting Totsuna Bridge
Totsuna Bridge is a working road bridge that can be crossed on foot, free of charge. Traffic uses it, so stop only in safe places on the footway.
Fukushima Prefecture says it is about 3 minutes on foot from Iizaka-Onsen Station on the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka Line, or about 10 minutes by car from the Iizaka interchange of the Tohoku Expressway.
Q&A
- What is Totsuna Bridge?
- A steel arch bridge of 1915 over the Surikami River in Iizaka, Fukushima, 52 metres long and 7.3 metres wide, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2020.
- How is Totsuna Bridge read?
- Totsuna-bashi.
- Why is Totsuna Bridge important?
- Its delicate braced-rib arch of angle sections makes it one of the oldest surviving steel arch bridges in Japan.
- Can I walk across Totsuna Bridge?
- Yes. It is a working road bridge; watch for traffic.
- How do I get to Totsuna Bridge?
- About 3 minutes on foot from Iizaka-Onsen Station on the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka Line.
Basic Information
| Name | Totsuna Bridge (十綱橋) |
|---|---|
| Location | Totsunashita 29, Iizaka-machi, to Yuno-aza-Yunoue 25-6, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/4/3 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Steel single-arch bridge with attached steel girder spans, 52 metres long, 7.3 metres wide |
| Owner | Fukushima Prefecture |
| Public Access | Road bridge in use; free to cross |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Totsuna Bridge (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013224
- Cultural Heritage Online: Totsuna Bridge (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/445133
- Fukushima Prefecture: Totsuna Bridge (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/site/infra/totsuna.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27