Spanning the Tosabori River, this bridge connects Nishi-ku with Kita-ku in Osaka City. Though built with private funds by Yodoya Joan (pronounced “joe-ahn”), it seems the bridge occupied the same spot as a previous one called Tanabeyabashi. Though Yodoya had his residence in Okawamachi (present-day Chuo-ku), he put considerable effort into developing the Nakanoshima area, and by the mid-17th century he was known as Japan’s wealthiest lumber merchant. The region now designated as Nakanoshima 4-chome through 6-chome was once known as Joan-machi, developed as it was by Yodoya Joan. During the Edo period, the neighborhood was home to rows of kurayashiki (storehouses that were also residences, owned by feudal lords), and the merchants of the city built their own bridges along the river to transport their goods. With the start of the First Urban Planning Project in 1921, Joanbashi was replaced with an 11.4-meter wide three-span cable bridge, transforming it into a modern structure. After the war, a new solidly-built steel girder bridge of about the same width was constructed on the downstream side, where it remains to this day.