写真・構成：岩崎量示
The English translation follows after the Japanese text.
〈13年前の橋はまだ〉
13年前の今日、2012年3月21日のタウシュベツ川橋梁。雪解けが進む糠平湖の湖底では、音更川の流れに勢いがつきはじめていた。川の流れがあるために、この時期は湖を横断して橋に近づくことが難しい。自然と、川をはさんで対岸から橋を眺めることになる。
遠くに見える橋の姿をあらためて写真で見返すと、まだ大きな崩落部分もなく、均整の取れたアーチが11連なっているのがわかる。冬から春への移り変わりの中でも、あのころのタウシュベツ川橋梁は、崩壊間近と言われながらもどこか安定感を漂わせていた気がする。
ここ数年は、年に2カ所、3カ所と壁が崩れ落ち、2012年当時の端正な印象は失わつつある。
Thirteen years ago today—March 21, 2012—the Taushubetsu Bridge stood there while the snow on Lake Nukabira’s bed was melting away, and the Otofuke River was picking up speed. Because of the flowing water, it was tough to walk straight across the lake to get closer to the bridge, so I ended up viewing it from the opposite shore.
Looking back at photos from that time, I can see that the eleven arches still looked pretty intact—no major chunks missing. Even though people said it was on the verge of collapse, it somehow gave off a surprising sense of stability, especially in that transition period from winter to spring.
In recent years, though, two or three pieces of the walls have broken off nearly every season, so the neat, well-balanced look it had in 2012 is gradually slipping away. It’s a reminder that while the bridge defied the odds for quite some time, it can’t hold on to its former shape forever.
Ryoji Iwasaki