One Road Bridge, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property since 2011
Koshibu Bridge (小渋橋, Koshibu-bashi) stands at 4760-1 Okawara and adjoining sites, Oshika Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture, a Showa-period bridge entered on the register of tangible cultural properties on 28 October 2011. It is a registered property rather than a designated one.
The quantity is one structure. The owner is Oshika Village.
The structure is a reinforced-concrete bridge of 3 arches, 106 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. The date field reads mid-Showa and the year field 1957.
The Road Runs Beneath the Arches
The curving members rise above the way that crosses.
The Agency records a through-type reinforced-concrete bridge of three arches over the river that runs through the centre of the village.
In a through-type bridge, the deck lies below the arches. Those crossing pass beneath the three arches as they go.
The Uchida bridge is also of three arches, but there the track rides on top of brick arches.
Here the three arches rise above the road, and the material is reinforced concrete, not brick.
The number of arches is the same, but road and arch change places above and below.
Arches and Girders Tied by Vertical Members
The curving members and the members that carry the road are joined by uprights.
The Agency records it as a so-called Lohse girder bridge, in which arches with bending stiffness are joined to the girders by vertical members.
A girder is the long member that carries the deck. Bending stiffness is the strength to hold shape against bending. A Lohse girder bridge ties such arches to the girders with many uprights.
The arch hangs the girder from above and the girder carries the road. The curve above and the line below become one structure through the uprights.
The Koshikawa bridge is of plain concrete in 10 arches.
This one is of reinforced concrete, combining arch, girder and upright.
Among Many of Its Type in the Prefecture, High in Both Engineering and Prospect
The assessment is made by comparison among many similar bridges.
The Agency closes that, among the many bridges of this type in the prefecture, it reaches a high level of completeness in both engineering and prospect.
Lohse girder bridges are many in the prefecture. Among them, this one is judged complete on two counts, engineering and the view it makes.
The Akagi main house, too, is said to excel in both quality and scale.
Here soundness of construction and appearance are both named. It is valued not for a rare type but for how well a common type is carried out.
At the Uchida bridge, the downstream toothing became decorative as a result. Here the prospect makes up half the assessment from the start.
Visiting
The bridge stands at 4760-1 Okawara and adjoining sites, Oshika Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture, owned by the village.
It is 106 metres long and 5.5 metres wide, with 3 arches.
The unit of quantity is the one used for civil-engineering structures, as for the Uchida and Koshikawa bridges.
The record reads the name Koshibu-bashi, and the English name follows that reading.
It serves as a village road bridge. Crossing and viewing follow the arrangements of those who manage it. Check before travelling.
Q&A
- When was the bridge registered?
- On 28 October 2011, as a registered tangible cultural property. It is registered rather than designated, and the quantity is one structure.
- What kind of bridge is it?
- A through-type reinforced-concrete bridge of three arches over the river; the road runs beneath the arches.
- What is a Lohse girder bridge?
- A bridge in which arches with bending stiffness are joined to the girders by vertical members.
- What is valued in it?
- That among many bridges of its type in the prefecture it reaches a high level in both engineering and prospect.
- How large is it?
- 106 metres long and 5.5 metres wide.
Basic Information
| Name | Koshibu Bridge (小渋橋, Koshibu-bashi) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4760-1 Okawara and adjoining sites, Oshika Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered tangible cultural property (structure); registered rather than designated |
| Year Designated | 2011 (28 October), registered |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Reinforced-concrete bridge of 3 arches, 106 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. A through-type Lohse girder bridge, its arches joined to the girders by vertical members. The date field reads mid-Showa and the year field 1957 |
| Owner | Oshika Village |
| Public Access | A village road bridge; crossing and viewing follow the arrangements of those who manage it |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: the bridge
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/174457
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/
- Oshika Village
- https://www.vill.ooshika.nagano.jp/
- Nagano Prefecture: cultural properties
- https://www.pref.nagano.lg.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.24