MEGANE BRIDGE

Megane Bridge - Meganebashi (Nagasaki) is the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan.

Megane Bridge known as Meganebashi (眼鏡橋) or Spectacles Bridge, was built in Nagasaki in 1634 by the Chinese monk Mozi of Kofukuji Temple. It is said to be the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan and has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. It received the nickname "Spectacles Bridge" because its two arches and their reflection in the water create the image of a pair of spectacles. On July 23 1982, a disastrous deluge washed away six of the ten stone bridges over Nakashima River. Meganebashi was badly damaged but fortunately almost all the original stones were retrieved and the bridge was restored to its original appearance.

There is a similar but larger "Spectacles Bridge" in Isahaya Park.

(Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)