Hourai Bridge & Atago Jizou (Hifuse Jizou)

Hourai Bashi, the oldest bridge in Yanai, was built in 1663 to connect a reclaimed piece of land called “Kogaisaku” and “Yanaitsu” side and provided many locals with the only means to travel between the two sides. Koukan Shiba, a great artist of the Edo period, wrote about going over this bridge in his book “Saiyu Nikki (Travel Diary of the West)”. “Gangi (stone stairs)” where boats would be docked and “Okimi Ishi-doro (stone lantern)” to guide incoming boats to dock remain up until today. At the foot of Hourai Bridge, “Atago Jizou (stone statue of fire safety deity)” quietly watch over the town of Yanai, in which fire would frequently broke out.