image by Sgt. W.E.Burroughs U.S.M.C.1960
Kintai Bridge (Kintai Bashi)
The Kintai Bashi is a 209-yard-long, 5 arch, drum bridge.
Also called the 'Brocade Sash Bridge,' it was inspired by Dokuryu, a Ming Dynasty monk, describing the great stone bridges of China's Xi Hu (West)Lake.
Construction completed in 1673.
It was destroyed in a flood in 1950 and rebuilt to the origional plans in 1953.
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Iwakuni, Japan
Located in the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Iwakuni was a strategic point along the Sanyodo in the past.
After the battle of Sekigahara, Iwakuni flourished as a castle town in the Iwakuni clan of the Kikkawa family, holding a fief yielding 60,000-koku (approximately 300,000 U.S. bushels).
At the top of Shiroyama (Castle Mountain) rises Iwakuni Castle, and at the bottom flow the crystal-clear waters of the Nishiki River, reflecting an image of the famous Kintai Bridge that crosses over it.
The cherry blossoms of spring, cormorant fishing in summer, multicolored leaves in fall, and snowscapes of winter provide beautiful backgrounds for the bridge.
And in the stretches along the river near both ends of the bridge, the quiet atmosphere of Iwakuni, the castle town, remains, gently comforting those who visit here.
Iwakuni has a population of about 110,000 people and an area of 221.15 square kilometers.
Today, it is a town that features its industry, Tourist, and U.S.Marine Corps Air Station.
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Japan
A country of Asia on an archipelago off the northeast coast of the mainland.
Traditionally settled c. 660 B.C., Japan's written history began in the 5th century A.D.
During the feudal period (12th-19th century) real power was held by the shoguns, local warriors whose dominance was finally ended by the restoration of the emperor Mutsuhito in 1868.
At about the same time the country was opened to Western trade and industrial technology.
Expansionist policies led to Japan's participation in World War II, which ended after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945).
Today the country is highly industrialized and noted for its advanced technology.
Tokyo is the capital and the largest city.
Population, 121,047,190+. |
Anthem
