Bridge · Senju

Senju Ohashi Bridge 千住大橋

The first bridge ever built across the Sumida River (1594), still carrying the old Nikko and Oshu highways north out of Edo on a 1927 steel tied-arch span.

About

Tokugawa Ieyasu had the original wooden Senju Ohashi built in 1594, and for decades it was the only bridge the shogunate allowed over the Sumida. It survived nearly 300 years of floods before being washed away in 1885. Today the crossing is a pair: the 1927 steel tied-arch "old bridge" (designed by Masuda Jun) carries the downstream lanes, and a 1973 box-girder bridge sits alongside. The north bank is Senju, where Matsuo Basho set off on his Narrow Road to the Deep North journey in 1689, marked by monuments and a small riverside park.

Highlights

• Sumida River's oldest bridge site, first built in 1594
• Green 1927 steel tied-arch span by bridge designer Masuda Jun
• Basho's "Oku no Hosomichi" departure point monuments on the north bank
• Riverside terrace path with views of the arch from below

Tips

• Walk the old (arch) bridge: cyclists and pedestrians both use it, while the new bridge needs spiral stairs.
• Look for the Basho departure monument in the small park at the north end of the bridge.
• Combine with Kita-Senju's old post-town streets a short walk north.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Susanō ShrineShrine · 320 m away
• Joyful Minowa Shopping StreetShopping Street · 900 m away
• Toden Arakawa Line (Tokyo Sakura Tram) & MinowabashiTransit Hub · 960 m away
• Arakawa Nature ParkPark · 970 m away
• Ramen-ya Toy BoxRamen & Noodles · 1.0 km away
• Jokan-ji (Nagekomi-dera)Temple · 1.1 km away
• Shioiri ParkPark · 1.1 km away
• Kita-Senju Nomiya YokochoIzakaya · 1.2 km away