淀小橋旧趾 Stele

Lost to time, yet marked in stone, the Yodokobashi Stele whispers tales of a bygone bridge. Here, at this unassuming spot in Kyoto’s Fushimi ward, stood Yodokobashi Bridge. Imagine a bustling thoroughfare connecting the rural Nosho village with the vibrant Shimonzen district of Kyoto. This crucial link, Yodokobashi Bridge, spanned the Uji River. Yodokobashi Bridge, with its significant role, faced its demise during the Uji River Improvement Project. Between 1885 and 1929, the river was redirected. In 1891, the bridge vanished, swallowed by the changing landscape. The Yodokobashi Stele serves as a poignant reminder of this lost connection. The original stele, erected in 1928 by the Mii Ansho Society, stood as a lonely sentinel near the former bridge site in Nosho village. Time took its toll. The weathered stone, bearing the inscription “Yodokobashi Kyuseki” (Old Site of Yodokobashi Bridge), became fragile. In 1990, a replica was crafted and placed near the present location. The original stele, carefully preserved, now resides in Yodo Castle Ruins Park alongside two others: the Karahashi Kihi (Old Stele of Karahashi) and the Yodojo Ato (Remains of Yodo Castle) markers. The original 1928 stele, weathered and worn, still exists. It has journeyed from Nosho village to Yodo Castle Ruins Park. It found its final resting place in 2011, after a temporary relocation to the Gotosho Shrine in 2006. The Yodokobashi Stele isn’t just a stone. It is a tangible piece of Kyoto’s history. It represents the constant flow of time and the changes it brings. The stele silently testifies to a time when a bustling bridge connected communities, now separated by the river’s altered course. It invites us to remember and reflect upon the passage of time. It reminds us that even as things change, their memory can endure etched in stone.