Meganebashi (Spectacles Bridge)

Meganebashi (眼鏡橋^?) or Spectacles Bridge, over the Nakashima River (中島川) was built in Nagasaki in 1634^[1] by the Japanese monk Mokusu of Kofukuji Temple.

It is said to be the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan and has been designated as an Important Cultural Property.

It received the nickname "Spectacles Bridge" because its two arches and their reflection in the water create the image of a pair of spectacles.

On July 23, 1982, a disastrous deluge washed away six of the ten stone bridges over the Nakashima River. Meganebashi was badly damaged but fortunately almost all the original stones were retrieved and the bridge was restored to its original appearance.

There is a similar but larger "Spectacles Bridge" in Isahaya Park.

Nagasaki (長崎市 Nagasaki-shi^?) ( listen (help·info)) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
Tōmeizan Kōfuku-ji (東明山興福寺^?) is an Ōbaku Zen Buddhist temple established in 1624 in Nagasaki, Japan. It is an important cultural asset designated by the government.