Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Side profile of the bomb prototype.
Petwood Hotel Bouncing Bomb
RAF Harrington
RAF Harrington
The Beaux-arts interior with Pool layout still visible.
Écomusée du fier monde
Village du Livre de Fontenoy-la-Joûte
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
People paddling in their wooden canoes on one of the lakes near the Allagash Waterway in the north woods in Maine
The Allagash Abductions: This State Park’s Most Famous Visitors ... Are Aliens?
about 7 hours ago
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
1 day ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
1 day ago
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Tokyo Shin-Ōhashi Bridge
AO Edited

Shin-Ōhashi Bridge

The predecessor to this bridge was depicted in a famous Japanese woodcut print that influenced Van Gogh.

Tokyo, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Shin-Ōhashi Bridge, 2024.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake (1857).   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Tokyo is a city of rivers, home to thousands of bridges that have been rebuilt numerous times over the centuries. Shin-Ōhashi Bridge, which crosses the Sumida River between the wards of Chūō and Kōtō, may not seem so flashy—except for its bright yellow pillars—but it happens to be something of an icon in art history.

Originally built in 1693, the construction of Shin-Ōhashi was noted by famed poet Matsuo Bashō in a few of his haiku verses. It had been damaged by fires, storms, and floods and rebuilt at least 20 times by 1744, when the government left the local council in charge of the bridge’s upkeep.

In 1856, ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige depicted Shin-Ōhashi in his woodblock print Ōhashi Atake no yūdachi, or "Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake," part of the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Considered a masterpiece, thousands of prints were exported to Europe, influencing many would-be Impressionist artists of the Japonisme era.

One of those artists was Vincent Van Gogh, an avid collector of Japanese prints. He painted his own versions of some of them,  including Ōhashi-Atake, to experiment with compositions.

The exact bridge depicted in these artworks, however, is no longer there. It was replaced by a Western-style wooden bridge in 1885, then by an iron one with Art Nouveau features in 1912, which was nicknamed the “life-saving bridge” because it stayed undamaged in the great earthquake of 1923 and provided shelter for the victims.

The current bridge was completed in 1977, and is located about a hundred meters downriver from the original site. Though a striking feature of the area, few recognize it as the art icon that once took the scene by storm.

Related Tags

History & Culture Rivers Van Gogh Paintings Art Engineering Bridges
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

September 10, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Shin-Ōhashi Bridge
Koto City
Tokyo, 135-0007
Japan
35.687541, 139.792276

Nearby Places

Kissa Laundry

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Basho Memorial Statue

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Kölner Aussicht

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tokyo

Tokyo

Japan

Places 220
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Kissa Laundry

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Basho Memorial Statue

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Kölner Aussicht

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tokyo

Tokyo

Japan

Places 220
Stories 13

Related Places

  • Conwy Suspension Bridge

    Conwy, Wales

    Conwy Suspension Bridge

    One of the oldest suspension bridges in the world blends in perfectly with a medieval castle.

  • Tampa, Florida

    Goya Paintings at Hotel Haya

    Rescued, handpainted reproductions of iconic Francisco Goya paintings, now in a hotel.

    Sponsored by VISIT TAMPA BAY
  • Altona, Manitoba

    Giant Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’

    A massive, 76-foot-high version of a Van Gogh painting in Canada’s sunflower capital.

  • Passu Suspension Bridge

    Passu, Pakistan

    Passu Suspension Bridge

    Unrefined, uneven, and unstable—this is the real McCoy of Pakistani suspension bridges.

  • Croswell Swinging Bridge

    Croswell, Michigan

    Croswell Swinging Bridge

    This historic suspension bridge is one of three remaining swinging bridges in Michigan, and one of the few swinging bridges left in North America.

  • London, England

    Victoria Park's Old London Bridge Alcoves

    These remnants of Old London Bridge possess unique acoustics that allow for whispered conversations to carry from one side to the other.

  • Ulpiano Checa Museum

    Colmenar de Oreja, Spain

    Ulpiano Checa Museum

    Dedicated to one of Spain’s most talented painters and also one of the least known.

  • Paris, France

    Le Moulin de la Galette

    Montmartre's sole surviving windmill became an iconic landmark for 19th-century painters, artists, and bohemians.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.