Harimaya Bridge, Kochi | Japan is Nippon

A small red bridge in central Kochi, setting of a monk's love story in the folk song Yosakoi-bushi. Every local knows it; a handy start for a city walk.

Close view of the red wooden Harimaya Bridge with flowering shrubs beside it — Photo: 9591sirai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cherry trees in bloom along a shallow stream in Harimaya Bridge Park in central Kochi — Photo: minamikaze, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A bridge that linked two merchant houses

Harimaya Bridge is in Harimaya-cho, in the centre of Kochi City. It is said to have begun in the early Edo period as a bridge built by two merchants, Harimaya and Hitsuya, whose houses faced each other across a moat, so they could go back and forth. Its name comes from Harimaya.

The bridge has been rebuilt many times since. It became an iron bridge in 1908 and a concrete one in 1929. Today the area around it has been laid out as Harimaya Bridge Park, and in 1998 a bridge with vermilion-lacquered rankan (railings) was recreated.

"I saw a monk buying a hairpin"

What made the bridge famous is Yosakoi-bushi, a Kochi folk song. One verse goes: "Tosa no Kochi no Harimaya-bashi de, bosan kanzashi kau wo mita", "At Harimaya Bridge in Kochi, Tosa, I saw a monk buying a kanzashi." A kanzashi is an ornament a woman wears in her hair. The lyric, about spotting a monk buying one at Harimaya Bridge, sings of a love affair.

That love affair is the tragic story of Junshin, a monk at Chikurin-ji temple on Mount Godai, and Ouma, of a family of ikakeya (craftsmen who mended pots and pans). The tale has been handed down together with Harimaya Bridge, where it is set. Yosakoi-bushi is still sung today, and a verse of it is also used in Kochi's Yosakoi Festival.

Keep your expectations modest, and use it as a starting point

The bridge is small, only about 20 m long, and surrounded by buildings and a main road. That is why it is sometimes jokingly called one of Japan's "three great disappointing sights", along with the Sapporo Clock Tower and others. It is best enjoyed as a quick stop to see the place from the song.

On the east side of the park is a mechanical clock where figures of Ryoma and Katsurahama appear to the melody of Yosakoi-bushi. At the nearby crossroads, the tram lines cross each other at right angles, so you can watch the trams coming and going.

Getting there

It is about a 10-minute walk from JR Kochi Station. It is right next to the Harimaya-bashi tram stop on the Tosaden Kotsu tram line, and Tosaden Kotsu buses to Katsurahama also leave from Harimaya Bridge. There is no dedicated car park.

Tips

It is easy to drop by while sightseeing in Kochi City, for example on the way to Kochi Castle or Katsurahama. Pop over for a quick look when you are changing trams or buses.
The mechanical clock performs at set times. Check the times on the information on site.
If you are driving, there is no dedicated car park, so use one of the paid car parks nearby.