The elegant design of the bridge and the scenic beauty of the gorge have inspired numerous landscape paintings of the 19th century.

Saruhashi Bridge spans the deep gorge of the Katsura River at Ōtsuki city, Yamanashi, Japan.

While suspension bridges are normally used under such conditions, where it is impractical to build a supporting pier,[a] Saruhashi employs a design called hanebashi [ja] (刎橋)[3] which was used during the Edo period (1603–1868).

Holes were made in the vertical rock faces of the cliffs to hold four pairs of inclined cantilever beams, called hanegi (羽根木), extending from either side.

[7] According to the Kamakura Ōzōshi [ja] (鎌倉大草紙), a military record of the Kanto region during the Muromachi period, the war between Ashikaga Mochiuji and Takeda Nobunaga was held at "Saruhashi" in the early 15th century.

[8] In 1487, a Buddhist visited the area and wrote a journal that recorded the description of Saruhashi, along with Japanese songs and Chinese poems.

[9][10] The Kamakura Ōzōshi records that Sarhashi was relocated by Nobuyoshi Oyamada in March 1520, to provide strategic control over the area.

However, the village lacked funds to manage and maintain the bridge, so Saruhashi was an independent historical site.

[12] In 1984, there was a major restoration of the bridge, which replaced the wooden cantilever beams with steel box girders set in concrete.

Hiroshige worked on a large-scale woodblock printing called Koyo Saruhashi, which was published by Takubo Yoshizo c. 1842.

[22] His unique social observations, innovative approach to design and mastery of the brush made him famous in Edo-period Japan and globally recognized within a decade of his death.

[citation needed] Kobayashi Kiyochika created the painting Monkey Bridge (Saruhashi) (fig.