Yodoyabashi Bridge, upon which runs Mido-suji, is named after its supposed builder, Yodoya. Yodoya was a wealthy merchant who did business in the early Edo period (1603-1867). He made his fortune through the timber trade and the development of Nakanoshima, and also built a sprawling mansion on the south side of the current Yodoyabashi Bridge. Yodoya laid the foundation for the development of Osaka as a city of commerce, as evidenced by the example of Gendo, second owner of Yodoya, having established a rice market that would later become the Dojima Rice Exchange. The Dojima Rice Exchange is said to be the origin of Japan’s stock exchange, and it was a global pioneer in the futures exchange as an organization. The prices for rice set at the Dojima Rice Exchange became the standards for rice markets all over Japan.
Yodoyabashi Bridge was rebuilt once after being swept away in a major flood that struck during the early Meiji era (1868-1912), and rebuilt once more with the construction of the Osaka City Tram Sakaisuji Line in 1911. The bridge that stands today is a concrete arch bridge that was built with the construction of Mido-suji in 1935, and in 2008 it was designated as a national Important Cultural Property.