This T-shaped bridge was targeted by the U.S. military in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Northeast of the bridge were clusters of military facilities, including the Chugoku District Military Headquarters.

The atomic bomb exploded in the sky, around 600 meters above Shima Hospital (now Shima Surgical Hospital), which was located about 300 meters southeast of the bridge. A fireball of over 3,000 degrees engulfed the ground, and the bomb’s blast and radiation annihilated this area. The bridge and its railings were badly damaged, and many people died here.

In 1983, a new bridge was built to replace the old one, and part of a girder deformed by the atomic blast was preserved and put on display at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.