Changes

==History==

==History==

Nihonbashi was first built in 1603, not over the [[Sumidagawa]] (Sumida River) which marked the eastern border of the city of Edo, but across a much smaller waterway to the west of the Sumida, and east of the castle; the waterway was so minor it had no name, and so came to be known as the Nihonbashi-gawa, after the bridge.

Nihonbashi was first built in 1603, not over the [[Sumidagawa]] (Sumida River) which marked the eastern border of the city of Edo, but across a much smaller waterway to the west of the Sumida, and east of the castle; the waterway was so minor it had no name, and so came to be known as the Nihonbashi-gawa, after the bridge.

The bridge's name, Nihonbashi, was originally written with the characters 二本橋, meaning "two bridges" (or perhaps referring to the bridge's double-width). The bridge was 28 bays (just over 50 meters) long, and was remarkably wide at four bays two ''[[Japanese Measurements|shaku]]'' (about eight meters), allowing a great many people to cross at once, and making the bridge a center of activity.

The bridge's name, Nihonbashi, was originally written with the characters 二本橋, meaning "two bridges" (or perhaps referring to the bridge's double-width). The bridge was 28 bays (just over 50 meters) long, and was remarkably wide at four bays two ''[[Japanese Measurements|shaku]]'' (about eight meters), allowing a great many people to cross at once, and making the bridge a center of activity.

When the bridge was renovated in [[1659]], following the [[1657]] [[Great Meireki Fire]], the new name 日本橋 took root, indicating an association of the bridge with the entire realm, and marking the bridge and its construction as a major symbol of Edo's importance and newly central location. It was at this time as well that the shogunate officially made Nihonbashi the official center of the city, and the point from which distances were to be measured.<ref>Screech indicates that this took place at this time; the ''Sekai daihyakka jiten'' indicates it was in 1604, the year after the bridge's construction.</ref>

When the bridge was renovated in [[1659]], following the [[1657]] [[Great Meireki Fire]], the new name 日本橋 took root, indicating an association of the bridge with the entire realm, and marking the bridge and its construction as a major symbol of Edo's importance and newly central location. It was at this time as well that the shogunate officially made Nihonbashi the official center of the city, and the point from which distances were to be measured.<ref>Screech indicates that this took place at this time; the ''Sekai daihyakka jiten'' indicates it was in 1604, the year after the bridge's construction.</ref> The bridge curved high in the center, and provided views of [[Edo castle]] to the west, along the waterway, which was lined with official shogunate storehouses; [[Mt. Fuji]] was often visible in the distance, behind the castle. One of the chief shogunate offices for dispatching post-horses was located near the bridge.<ref name=edo/>

The bridge curved high in the center, and provided views of [[Edo castle]] to the west, along the waterway, which was lined with official shogunate storehouses; [[Mt. Fuji]] was often visible in the distance, behind the castle. One of the chief shogunate offices for dispatching post-horses was located near the bridge.<ref name=edo/>

The neighborhood around the bridge became one of the chief centers of ''[[chonin|chônin]]'' (commoner/townsman) commercial and cultural activity. The [[Echigo-ya]], an early department store which later evolved into the Mitsukoshi department store still located on that site facing the bridge, formed the cornerstone of that neighborhood. Restaurants, teahouses, and other shops in Nihonbashi were the vibrant, lively, center of Edo activity. One such restaurant, Momokawa, established in the 17th century next to [[Fukutoku Shrine]] on a streetcorner known as Ukiyo-shôji, combined a bathhouse and restaurant; it was visited as well by [[Commodore Matthew Perry]] in the 1850s before falling into decline in the 1870s.<ref>Suigian 水戯庵 restaurant booklet.</ref>

A former ward of the city, Nihonbashi-ku, was named after the bridge.

A former ward of the city, Nihonbashi-ku, was named after the bridge.