Kyōbashi, Tokyo

History

Its name comes from the bridge that once spanned the Kyōbashi Canal. The south side of the canal was called Takegashi (竹河岸 Bamboo Quay) because it was bamboo wholesalers' area.

The Kyōbashi, or Capital Bridge, linked the Ginza and the Kyōbashi neighborhood. According to the sign erected at the site by the Chuo-ku Board of Education, together with Nihonbashi, it was one of the famous bridges of Edo. When the canal was filled in 1959, the bridge was removed. Today, a pillar stands to mark the site of the old bridge.

Kyobashi was also a ward of Tokyo City, encompassing 16 neighborhoods, including Ginza, Tsukiji, and Tsukishima, in addition to Kyobashi itself. In 1947, when the 35 wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23, it was merged with Nihonbashi to form the modern Chuo ward.