Japanese Bridge

Chùa Cầu
Chùa Cầu
	The bridge and temple in 2010
Religion
Affiliation	Taoist
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Temple
Patron	Trấn Vũ
Year consecrated	1653
Location
Location	Hoi An, Vietnam
Architecture
Style	Japanese Edo (original)

Japanese Bridge

Chùa Cầu, Cầu Nhật Bản
Japanese Bridge; Chùa Cầu, Cầu Nhật Bản
	The Japanese Bridge in 2024
Coordinates	15°52′37.8840″N 108°18′33.4850″E / 15.877190000°N 108.309301389°E
Carries	pedestrians
Crosses	Outlet of Thu Bồn River
Locale	Hoi An, Vietnam
Official name	Lai Viễn Kiều
Characteristics
Design	Covered bridge
Longest span	18 metres (59 ft)
History
Opened	1593
Location

The Japanese Bridge (Vietnamese: Chùa Cầu, lit. Pagoda Bridge) is a footbridge with a temple atop, located in Hội An, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. It dates from the late 16th century by Japanese merchantmen but successive renovations and repairs on the bridge have occurred throughout the period to the modern day.

Description

The footbridge is 18 meters long and 3 meters wide. A small temple sits on the north end of the bridge, with the entrance in middle of the bridge overlooking the water. The two bridgeheads are built with bricks with two spans each, while the middle portion of the bridge has five spans placed on brick pillars going into the water. The building frame is made of wood and utilizes three separate, but integrated roof systems for the three portions of the bridge.^[1]

The bridge's temple has ornate decor, including porcelain bowls used to cap the ends of the roof tiles^[2] and statues of a monkey and a dog (the monkey god and the dog god are the two gods who control Namazu in Japanese folklore).^[3]^[1] Chữ Hán can be found throughout the bridge and temple, including "Lai Viễn Kiều" in front of the entrance of the temple.^[1] The temple historically has been an altar to Trấn Vũ with an annual festival dedicated to the deity on the 20th day of the 7th lunar month.^[4]

History

During the 16th century, Japanese merchants began to establish residence in the port city of Faifo (now Hoi An) and established their own enclave. In 1593, one group of merchants began building a covered bridge to cross a neighborhood canal.^[3] They finished construction in 1595 and improved access between the Chinese enclave on the other side.^[2] In 1653, Japanese residents built a temple atop the bridge as a way to, according to legend, placate the earthquake-inducing monster Namazu.^[3]^[5] With the 17th century withdrawals of Japanese merchants and Dutch East Indies company from Hoi An, Chùa Cầu and its surrounding neighborhood remained relatively preserved.^[3]

During a 1719 visit to Hoi An, lord Nguyễn Phúc Chu named the bridge Lai Viễn Kiều, which means "a bridge to welcome guests from afar". According to a date recorded on the roof beam and an inscription left at the bridgehead, the bridge was rebuilt in 1817, though it is not clear if the temple was as well.^[5]^[1] The bridge would be renovated in 1817, 1865, 1915, and 1986, gradually integrating elements of Vietnamese and Chinese architecture and design in lieu of its original Japanese elements.^[6]

As the structure is sinking due to underground erosion, works are undergoing to prevent its collapse.^[1]

Honors and designation

In February 1990, Chùa Cầu was granted the status of National Historic-Cultural Relic.^[6] In 2006, a 20,000 VND banknote was released featuring the bridge.^[3]

Renovations of the Japanese Bridge

From the time it was built until today, the Japanese Bridge relic has been preserved and preserved intact by the Hoi An community. Existing documents show that up to now, Covered Bridge has been majorly renovated at least 7 times in 1763, 1817, 1875, 1917, 1962, 1986, 1996. The most recent renovation started on December 28. 2022 and completed renovations in August 2024,

According to the stork, in the year Quy Mui - 1763, Cau Pagoda was renovated by the head of Minh Huong commune, Truong Hoang Co, and the entire commune. The contents of the stork record are: Long Phi tuesday Quy Mui, year Binh Thin moon, At Dau day, Ky Mao period, Minh Huong commune Duyen Thu Truong Hoang Co signed the entire commune is equal to the same prosperity.
54 years later, in the year of Dinh Suu - 1817, Covered Bridge was continued to be renovated. The snake stork about this restoration records: Gia Long in the sixteenth year of Dinh Suu, At Ty Nguyet, Mau Ty Nhat, Binh Thin Thoi, Minh Huong Commune Huong Quan Huong Old Huong Chief of the entire commune restored at the same time. In addition to the stork, there is also a stone stele Restored Lai Vien Kieu Ky placed at the east end of Cau Pagoda.
Then 58 years later, in the year of At Hoi - 1875, Covered Bridge was again renovated by Minh Huong commune and merchants in Hoi An. The stork this time reads: Tu Duc, twenty-eight years old, At Hoi, Giap Than Nguyet, Binh Thin Nhat, Binh Than Bai, Minh Huong Commune Huong Quan Huong Chief, Pure Commune, Quarterly Street, Quarterly and Equally Restored.
During the period when Vietnam was colonized by the French colonialists, Covered Bridge was also renovated by the government and the community. This renovation is engraved in the three stone steles and storks still present at the monument. There is a stone stele recording that in the year At Mao - 1915, Chief Minister Lesterlin Galtier prepared to disburse funds to repair the Cau Pagoda relic. The remaining 02 stone steles record the name of the place offering money for renovation. The stork records this renovation as follows: Khai Dinh two years of the year Dinh Ty six moons auspicious days Minh Huong commune officials, officials of the five gangs and clans of the city, all the nobles and merchants were restored.
Around 1962, the Covered Bridge was renovated by the Quang Nam provincial government, replacing and reinforcing rotten structures. The Ministry of National Education at that time had a sign hanging at Cau Pagoda stating: "Classified fairy: Lai Vien Kieu. It is forbidden to destroy heritage, paste paper, draw and write on ancient relics. Anyone who violates the law will be prosecuted and punished according to current laws on preserving archaeological relics."
From after 1975 until now, Covered Bridge has been renovated twice in 1986 and 1996. The renovation in 1986 was carried out from August to October, by the Ministry of Culture (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). Tourism) in coordination with Hoi An Town People's Committee (now Hoi An City People's Committee). The renovation project includes restoring the roof and restoring the bridge floor to its current state. In the Year of the Rat - 1996, Cau Pagoda continued to be renovated by Hoi An Town People's Committee (now Hoi An City People's Committee). The renovation project includes rebuilding ½ of the western pillars and casting the northern wall beams.
Faced with the increasingly serious deterioration of the Covered Bridge, on August 16, 2016, an international conference on the restoration of the Covered Bridge was held on a large scale with the participation of many leading scientists and experts on restoration. domestic and Japanese wooden architectural relics. On December 28, 2022, construction of Cau Pagoda will begin. The renovation of Cau Pagoda is carried out in the spirit of "surgery - treatment", so all activities are careful, meticulous, methodical, and scientific from project preparation to organizational solutions and solutions. Construction techniques for restoring monuments. Hội An City in the central province of Quảng Nam and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on March 26 signed an agreement on supporting the restoration of the central old town’s iconic Japanese Bridge. The Japanese Bridge was completely restored in August 2024.