Named for the bridge spanning the Kushiro {see planet  (4096)} river and connecting the northern and southern parts of Kushiro city. When it was first built in 1889 the bridge was named Aihoku Bashi and was the longest in Hokkaido {see planet  (3720)}. The bridge has been rebuilt five times, most recently in 1976, and it now has a length of 124 m and a width of 34 m. The elegant Nusamai Bashi is known for its statues, by four well-known Japanese sculptors, of female representations of the seasons. (M 16885) _ _.