Shinkyo Bridge

The Shinkyo, or 'Sacred Bridge', is the vermilion-lacquered arch that spans the rushing Daiya River at the entrance to Nikko's shrine district, and it is one of the most photographed structures in all of Japan. Belonging to Futarasan Shrine and counted among the UNESCO World Heritage 'Shrines and Temples of Nikko', it marks the symbolic threshold between the everyday town and the sacred mountain precinct beyond.

Its origin is bound up with the legend of Shodo Shonin, the eighth-century monk who founded Nikko's temples. Arriving at the fast, deep Daiya River and unable to cross, he prayed for help, whereupon the mountain deity Jinja-Daio appeared and released two serpents — one blue, one red — that intertwined and transformed into a bridge, their backs covered in sedge so the monk could walk across. For this reason the bridge is also poetically called 'Yamasuge-no-jabashi', the snake bridge of sedge. The elegant structure seen today, some 28 metres long and standing more than 10 metres above the water, dates in its present form to 1904, rebuilt after a flood, though a bridge has stood here since at least the seventeenth century.

For most of its history the Shinkyo was reserved for imperial messengers, shogunal processions and pilgrims on special occasions; ordinary travellers used a separate crossing. Today visitors can pay a small fee to walk partway onto the bridge for the experience and the view up the wooded gorge, though it does not connect to the far bank as a through-route. Many people are equally happy to admire and photograph it for free from the adjacent modern road bridge, which offers the classic postcard angle.

The bridge is at its most beautiful when its bright red curve is set against seasonal colour: fresh cherry blossom and green in spring, the flaming maples of mid-November — when Nikko's autumn is at its peak — and a dusting of snow in winter that turns the scene into a woodblock print come to life. Morning light and the mist rising off the river add to the atmosphere.

A visit takes only a few minutes but makes a natural first stop before walking up into the shrine complex, as the Shinkyo sits right where the approach to Toshogu, Rinno-ji and Futarasan begins. The viewing area is level and fully accessible, and there are restrooms and small shops nearby.

Nikko is about two hours north of Tokyo. Japan Rail Pass holders ride the shinkansen to Utsunomiya and change to the JR Nikko Line, while the Tobu Railway from Asakusa runs direct to Tobu Nikko Station. From either station it is a pleasant twenty-minute walk or a short ride on the World Heritage sightseeing bus to the Shinkyo stop.