Amakusa Five Bridges

A collective name for five bridges in western Kumamoto Prefecture that connect the main island of Kyushu with Amakusa Kamishima. They span Misumi-cho, Uki City, Uto Peninsula, Oyanoshima, Nagaurashima, Ikeshima, Maejima, and Matsushima-cho, Amakusa Kamishima. The five bridges are Tenmon Bridge (Bridge No. 1, 502 meters long), which connects the tip of the Uto Peninsula with Oyanoshima; Oyano Bridge (Bridge No. 2, 249 meters long), which connects Oyanoshima with Nagaurashima; Naka Bridge (Bridge No. 3, 361 meters long), which connects Nagaurashima with Ikeshima; Maejima Bridge (Bridge No. 4, 510 meters long), which connects Ikeshima with Maejima; and Matsushima Bridge (Bridge No. 5, 178 meters long), which connects Maejima with the eastern end of Amakusa Kamishima. Construction began in 1962 by the Japan Highway Public Corporation, and the entire line opened in 1966. Thirty years after the Amakusa Bridge plan was proposed to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly in 1935, the dream of the prefecture's residents has become a reality.

The completion of the Five Bridges not only promoted the spread of the miniature garden-like landscapes that had been isolated from one another despite being designated Unzen-Amakusa National Park as "Amakusa Matsushima" across the nation, but also gave Amakusa the character of a stopover point on the international tourist route connecting Nagasaki, Unzen with Aso and Beppu. The 12-kilometer stretch of National Route 266 from Misumi to Matsushima via the Five Bridges is called the Amakusa Pearl Line. Together with the Amakusa Seto Bridge, which connects Amakusa Kamishima and Amakusa Shimoshima, the bridges eliminated the image of the Amakusa Islands as remote islands, facilitating the speedy transport of primary products and making it possible to set up labor-intensive factories.

[Yamaguchi Morito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

熊本県西部、九州本島と天草上(かみ)島を結ぶ五つの橋の総称。宇土半島(うとはんとう)の宇城(うき)市三角(みすみ)町―上天草市の大矢野島(おおやのしま)―永浦島―池島―前島―天草上島の同市松島町に架かる。五橋は、宇土半島先端と大矢野島を結ぶ天門橋（1号橋、長さ502メートル）、大矢野島と永浦島を結ぶ大矢野橋（2号橋、長さ249メートル）、永浦島と池島を結ぶ中の橋（3号橋、長さ361メートル）、池島と前島とを結ぶ前島橋（4号橋、長さ510メートル）、前島と天草上島東端とを結ぶ松島橋（5号橋、長さ178メートル）からなる。1962年（昭和37）日本道路公団によって起工され、1966年全線開通した。天草架橋構想が熊本県議会に提案（1935）されて以降、30年にして県民の夢がかなったわけである。

　五橋の完成は、雲仙天草国立公園(うんぜんあまくさこくりつこうえん)の指定を受けながらも、相互に孤立していた箱庭のような景観地を「天草松島」として全国に広めただけでなく、長崎、雲仙と阿蘇(あそ)、別府とを結ぶ国際観光ルートの中継地としての性格を天草に与えた。なお、三角から五橋を経て松島までの約12キロメートルの国道266号を天草パールラインとよぶ。また天草上島と天草下(しも)島とを結ぶ天草瀬戸大橋とともに、離島天草諸島のイメージを取り払い、第一次産品の輸送の迅速化だけでなく、労働集約的な工場の進出も可能になった。

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