Kazurabashi Bridge – Tokushima

Kazura Bridge (Kazurabashi Bridge), Tokushima is not the most stable looking bridges around. However, back in ancient Japan, bridges constructed out of vines and wooden planks were the only way to get across valleys.  

The bridge is located in the Iya Valley of Tokushima Prefecture, and stretches 45m (147ft) across the Iya river.  Originally, there were 13 of these bridges built along the Iya valley, but as time withered away the vines and wood, as well as the need for them, all but 3 cease to exist. The Kazurabashi Bridge is the longest of the 3 remaining bridge, and can only be walked across from one direction. 

The bridges are believed to date back 1,000 years (give or take a few hundred years) as construction documents of these bridges contradict each other. According to the historic documents, these bridges in the Iya Valley  were either used for Kobo Daishi’s pilgrimage routes, or they were built by Heike refugees during the Gempi War (1180-1185), whom needed a quick a way to cross the river, or to drop the bridge into the river if they needed to escape.

Either way, these bridges have a significant amount of history behind them, and would be worth checking them out. To ensure that the bridges are safe to walk on in modern times, these vine bridges are reconstructed every 3 years, and have steel cables intwined in the vines. 

The nearby area around Kazurabashi bridges has plenty of shrine and walking paths to explore. Many hotels near Kazurabashi Bridge also have their own onsen baths for guest use.  One could easily stay a day or two in the surrounding area just exploring the remote Japanese mountainside.