Ichijo Modori-bashi Bridge
"Ichijo Modori-bashi" is a bridge on Ichijo-dori Street over the Hori-kawa River located in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City. It is also called simply 'Modoribashi' (literally 'return bridge').
It was first built in 794 when Heiankyo (the ancient capital of Japan, located in present-day Kyoto) was founded, and has been rebuilt many times in the same place to this day. Ichijo-dori is the northernmost street of Heiankyo, and it played a role of dividing Rakuchu area (inside the capital) and Rakugai area (outside the capital). This bridge has a rich variety of legends associated with it.
There is a custom where women to be married and people involved with match making avoid this bridge because its name suggests that a married woman will return back to her home after divorce. In contrast, during the Second World War, young men who had been drafted to fight and their families walked over this bridge many times hoping they would be able to return home alive.
The present bridge was rebuilt in 1995. There is also a bus stop called 'Ichijo Modoribashi' on Horikawa-dori Street that intersects with Ichijo-dori Street.