Photo Gallery

Japanese Bridge (built early 17th century)

No one is quite sure of the exact age of this bridge, but it was probably constructed in the early years of the Edo Shogunate (the early 17th century). The covered bridge, also known as the Pagoda Bridge (Chua Cau), was built by Japanese craftsmen who were part of a larger community of Japanese merchants active in Hoi-An.

Japanese settled in this town in large numbers following a treaty with local Nguyen lords signed in the early 1600s. Hoi-an at that time was underdeveloped, but the Japanese envisioned transforming the town into a great trading center. The Nguyen Lords allowed the Japanese to construct streets, pagodas, and other infrastructure, along with housing for the merchants. The bridge is one of a handful of architectural treasures still extant from that era.

The bridge doubles as a temple, with shrines to several deities located inside. One theory of the bridge's religious purpose is that it was built to subdue a world-spanning 'mamazu' dragon monster, whose head was located in India and its tail in Japan. The movement of the tail was believed to cause earthquakes in Japan. As Vietnam was located in the area of the mamazu's back, the bridge was intended to pin the mamazu down, thus preventing any earthquakes.

Plan view

Image drawn by Timothy Ciccone following plan in Phan Huy Lê. Kiê'n trúc phô' cô Hôi An Viêt Nam.

Location

The approximate location of the bridge is 15.877123' N, 108.325788' E (WGS 84 map datum).