Updated:October 16, 2020

Mayor’s comment about a report of national important cultural asset designation of “Saikai Bridge”.

October 16, 2020

 

A report was submitted to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in a national cultural council so that “Saikai Bridge” which sits astride in between Sasebo-City and Saikai-City may be designated as a national important cultural asset (structure of tangible cultural properties) today.

 

“Saikai Bridge” was constructed in October, 1955 under direct management business of the old Ministry of Construction and indicated the length in between the piers was the longest span bridge beyond 200m as well as the first bridge crossing the strait in Japan.

 

Such as the shape of the bridge was made no hinge arch, and to save more steel, choosing a truss arch principle by the structural material making holes in view of speed of the current and the water depth beyond the 40m of the strait in case of designing, various devices were concentrated. And the world's first technology which makes an arch from a bridge abutment of both banks and joins at the center was used, lifting by a slanting cable in case of construction. It is said that the shape of the whole bridge was decided by a sensuous balance after the repeated sketches.

 

“Saikai Bridge” put together in this way was completed as the bridge where the amount of consumption of the steel which was still valuable at that time was suppressed in a minimum and its robustness combined with sharpened beauty and the delicate and beautiful form is also evaluated even now. And it was a foundation of the long span bridge construction that the technology and the experience were grown by building of “Saikai Bridge”. It has greatly influenced to building of “Amakusa Gokyo Bridge”, “Kanmon Kaikyo Bridge” and “Great Seto Bridge”. This matter was highly evaluated and this report was finally submitted to the Minister.

 

Furthermore, when this designation is decided officially by gazette bulletin, it will be birth of the 3rd case of important cultural property building of this city. It is the first designation nationwide as a constructed bridge after the war.

 

When this designation is officially decided, I will notify the value of “Saikai Bridge” as the valuable cultural asset which indicates technological development of long-span bridge in Japan to all the people and the citizens widely together with Nagasaki-Pref. (Owner of Saikai Bridge) and Saikai-City where “Saikai Bridge” is located, I would like to endeavor for after preservation and utilization of “Saikai Bridge”.

 

In closing, taking this opportunity, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to everybody of the Agency for Cultural Affairs which took up the value of “Saikai Bridge” and a cultural council commissioner and also Mr. Takatoshi Okabayashi, honorary professor of Nagasaki University who endeavored for an investigation up to now and everybody of Nagasaki-Pref, and Saikai-City who gave us much understanding and cooperation in important cultural asset designation.

 

Norio Tomonaga
Mayor of Sasebo