Tamaebashi/Tamae Bridge

Tamaebashi Bridge spans the Dojima River and is located about 50 meters from Exit 1 of Keihan Nakanoshima Station. It connects Nakanoshima 4-chome with Fukushima 1-chome, and is said to have been built over the Naniwasuji route during the Dojima land-development project in the Edo period. It was originally called Horiebashi, but later came to be known by its current name. The name “Tamae” derives from a story that a beautiful jewel was found in Horie, which was then regarded as a sacred spirit of Horikawa Ebisu Shrine, and the area was called Tamae. In the past, the south side of the bridge was home to storehouse residences such as the Kurume Domain’s, and on the north side stood the Nakatsu Domain’s storehouse residence, where Yukichi Fukuzawa was born. However, the bridge was washed away by a major flood in the Meiji era. Although it was restored, it was later destroyed again in the great fire known as the “Kita no Taika” that struck Kita Ward, Osaka City. The current bridge was completed in 1929, in the early Showa period. It has also undergone elevation and widening work as a countermeasure against storm surges, and in 1991 tile paving and lighting fixtures were installed.