HISTORICAL TRANSITION OF SUSPENSION BRIDGE TOWER FORMS IN JAPAN. BRIDGE AESTHETICS AROUND THE WORLD

In Japan many long suspension bridges are under construction or are proposed. Three different routes connecting the islands of Honshu and Shikoku will incorporate 10 suspension bridges. Of these bridges, six have already been completed, and the construction of the rest is now in progress. Other suspension bridges are currently under construction in Muroran on Hokkaido and in Tokyo. The tower form of suspension bridges determines the general character of the bridge, captures the ambience of the locality where the bridge stands, and symbolizes the era when the bridge was constructed. The focus of this paper is on the historical transition of suspension bridge tower forms in Japan. The paper begins with a discussion of tower forms outside of Japan, then turns to tower forms in Japan. It was in 1910 that the construction of full-fledged suspension bridges started in Japan. The paper concludes with a discussion of future trends in suspension bridge design in Japan.