Rokugogawa Railway Bridge 六郷川鉄橋

built over Rokugo River between Tôkyo and Kanagawa 1877

dismantelment 1965; relocated to Meiji-Mura 1988

Meiji-mura / Meiji Village Museum

R. V. Boyle (1822-1908), a British civil engineer who served as a foreign advisor during the Meiji period, was designing the Rokugogawa Railway Bridge. It was Japan’s first double-track iron railway bridge. The ironwork was manufactured in England and shipped to Japan. As a foreign expert (o-yatoi gaikokujin), Boyle played a crucial role in establishing Japan’s first railway network.