A study on the bridges constructed on the trunk road “Tokaido” in the Edo era-case study on Kanagawa pref.

Abstract

This paper describes the actual condition of the bridges constructed on the trunk road “Tokaido” in the Edo era (case study on Kanagawa prefecture). The used main reference is a data report (Tokaido-syukumurataigaicho) and a pictorial map (Tokaido-bunken-nobu-ezu) about “Tokaido”. At the result, there were 159 bridges in Kanagawa prefecture, the 59.8% of 159 bridges was stone bridge, the 31.4% of 159 bridges was wooden bridge which used ground on surface and the 8.8% of 159 bridges was wooden bridge. The constructor was Tokugawa Government or feudal lord, but Tokugawa Government built in many cases when the length of a bridge exceeded 3 ken (5.4m).