Ujibashi Danpi Monument (宇治橋断碑)
Ujibashi Danpi Monument is a stone plate on which the origin of the Uji-bashi bridge is described, located at Hashi-dera Hojoin Temple in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture. The description are composed of the oldest stone-etched sentences in Japan. It was built in 646. The monument once fell into the river, although when it fell in fact was unknown, and was excavated from a trench in Hashi-dera Hojoin Temple some time between 1789 and 1801 during the Edo period. Now, only the first third of it exists. Based on all of the sentences that Koresada NAKAMURA, a resident of Owari Province, included in "Teio Hennen ki" (a chronicle attributed to the priest Eiyu), the lost sentences were etched imitating the character patterns in a kohocho (an ancient collection of excellent patterns of written Chinese characters). Thus restored monument was built in the garden of Hashi-dera Temple, with the origin described on the back side. It is said that the etched character patterns are excellent.