A Study on the Construction History of Kintai Bridge in Japan

Abstract

The aim of this research is to present a structured and comprehensive history of the rebuilding process of the Kintai Bridge and also to analyze the building knowhow of this particular structure that has been passed down to generations of carpenters. A great part of the information was obtained from interviews with the carpenters that worked on the most recent rebuilding process and also on available historical materials, such as drawings and tools that were used in past rebuildings. This research analyzes the history of the bridge by dividing it into three distinguished periods. In the first period, the bridge is considered to have maintained its original design and as such; in the Heisei Era rebuild, carpenters decided to restore the Kintai Bridge to this original form using the earliest available drawings from the Genroku Era. During the second period, carpenters developed their own design templates and measuring units in the form of rulers to guide the rebuilding process. The last and third period covers the modernization of the bridge since the Shōwa Era rebuild (1950).