Naniwabashi bridge in Osaka, Japan. The bridge spans the old Yodogawa river and was completed in 1915 (Taisho 4).
Naniwa Bridge was, and still is, well known for its lampposts and stone statues of lions. It featured impressive stone steps leading to Nakanoshima Island and Nakanoshima Park.
When Osaka started modernizing its urban infrastructure at the end of the 19th century, high on the agenda were the construction of a modern harbor, improvement of the Yodogawa river, introduction of streetcars, widening of Osaka’s narrow streets and modernization of Osaka’s many bridges.
As steel became increasingly available, it was gratefully used by Japan’s newly minted civil engineers to build Japan’s modern bridges. Naniwabashi bridge is especially representative of the kind of bridges built during this period.
It still stands and is one of the oldest Western style bridges in Japan. Although its superstructure was completely replaced early this century, it faithfully follows the original design.1
Notes
1 Matsumura, Hiroshi (2004). Bridges: Highlights of Osaka’s Urbanscape (pdf). Osaka City Foundation for Urban Technology, OSAKA and Its Technology, No. 45: 16–22.
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Kjeld Duits
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Osaka 1930s: Naniwabashi Bridge, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on August 22, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/153/naniwabashi-bridge
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