The Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis incorporates the use of traditional Japanese bridges, intended not solely as a means of crossing from island to shore, but to provide points where garden visitors can enjoy viewing the water, the reflections of sunlight on foliage and the fish swimming below.

The first of these is the Drum Bridge, or Taikobashi, which connects Teahouse Island with the northwest mainland. Its name alludes to its round shape, which completes a circle in its own reflection in the water. It is constructed of redwood and is left unpainted to preserve its natural appearance. Bronze caps topping the four posts at each end of the Drum Bridge are called giboshi.

#bridge #japanese #garden #water #pond #calm #trees