Chigo Bridge

A story from the far-off Edo period. The first bridge was built over the Tomoe River. A crossing ceremony was to be held there, and as an elderly couple from the chosen village were about to cross, a boy with a bobbed hair appeared out of nowhere. And he crossed over before the elderly couple. At first the villagers were surprised, but they were delighted, saying, ``That child must be a messenger from God.'' It was a strange sight, but the villager's words made even the magistrate who was there see the situation, and it was a happy day. Originally called ``Ejiri Bridge,'' it is now called ``Chigo Bridge.'' It was also called "Kappa Bridge". It's not like a raincoat with a plate on its head and a shell appeared. Could it be the incarnation of a kappa since it suddenly appeared from the river? and. Is it reminiscent of the Edo period in that it is forcibly made into an auspicious story? is not it. Ejiri Bridge is a bridge built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. By the way, at that time, it was connected to the Abe River via a hemlock, and was a river used to transport supplies for the construction of Sunpu Castle from the sea to the inland. Going back in time, just a minute's walk will take you to Ejiri Castle, built by Takeda Shingen. The 24th general, Baiyuki Anayama, was the lord of the castle. There are no ruins, but the place name remains. In the early Showa period, it was the dirtiest river in Shizuoka Prefecture, but in the Edo period it must have been clean! There may have been a kappa around that time.

It is said that during the ceremony for the first time to cross this bridge, a child with a kappa head appeared from the river and disappeared across the bridge towards Fuchu, hence the name. Judging from Hiroshige Ando's ukiyo-e, Miho no Matsubara may have been visible from here during the Edo period.

I had been curious about the kappa statue for some time, so I stopped by on my way home from the hospital. Although it is deteriorated and difficult to read, the signboard ``In 1607, by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, a bridge was built over the Tomoe River along the 53 stations of the Tokaido, and it was named Ejiri Bridge after the inn in Ejiri, marking the first day of crossing. Ta. Now, prior to the ceremony, the elderly father and his wife who had been chosen for a long time were about to set foot on the bridge when a child appeared from the river. Then, it climbed up the pier and suddenly disappeared in the direction of the inlet. The people who had gathered at the beginning of the crossing were taken aback by this, and it is said that because of this, the name of the bridge was changed from Ejiri Bridge to Doji and was called Chigo Bridge. It is also said that the mysterious child was a kappa who lived in the Tomoe River. This legend explains why there is a kappa inside the famous Ichiron-san dolls of Shimizu. ” I was convinced that there was such a legend.

I went to see the lantern float. It was my first time there, but it was very beautiful, and I was glad that I was able to see the fireworks from such a close distance, which is unique to my hometown. It was a valuable experience to be able to see the fireworks all the way to the base.

This bridge over the Tomoe River has a cute statue of a kappa on the railing.