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| Prehistory to the Kofun period | |
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Some of the earliest signs of habitation in the area of Osaka were found at the Morinomiya remains (森の宮遺跡, Morinomiya iseki?), with its shell mounds, including sea oysters and buried human skeletons from the 5th–6th centuries BC. It is believed that what is today the Uehonmachi area consisted of a peninsular land, with an inland sea in the east. During the Yayoi period, permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular.[3]
By the Kofun period, Osaka developed into a hub port connecting the region to the western part of Japan. The large numbers, and the increasing size, of tomb mounds found in the plains of Osaka are seen as evidence of political-power concentration, leading to the formation of a state.[3][7]
[edit] Tags:Region, | |
| Asuka and Nara period | |
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In 645, Emperor Kōtoku built his palace, the Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace in Osaka,[8] making this area the capital (Naniwa-kyō). The place that became the modern city was by this time called Naniwa. This name, and derived forms, are still in use for districts in central Osaka such as Naniwa (浪速) and Namba (難波).[9] Although the capital was moved to Asuka (in Nara Prefecture today) in 655, Naniwa remained a vital connection, by land and sea, between Yamato (modern day Nara Prefecture), Korea, and China.[3][10]
In 744, Naniwa once again became the capital by order of Emperor Shōmu. Naniwa ceased to be the capital in 745, when the Imperial Court moved back to Heijō-kyō (now Nara). The seaport function was gradually taken over by neighboring lands by the end of Nara period, but it remained a lively center of river, channel, and land transportation between Heian-kyō (Kyoto today) and other destinations.
[edit] Tags:Prefecture,Emperor Kōtoku,Namba,Asuka,Nara Prefecture,Yamato,Korea,Emperor Shōmu,Heijō-kyō,Nara,Heian-kyō, | |
| Heian to Edo period | |
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In 1496, the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist sect set up their headquarters in the heavily fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji on the site of the old Naniwa imperial palace. Oda Nobunaga started a siege of the temple in 1570. After a decade, the monks finally surrendered, and the temple was razed, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi constructed Osaka Castle in its place.
Osaka was, for a long time, Japan's most important[11] economic center, with a large percentage of the population belonging to the merchant class (see Four divisions of society). Over the course of the Edo period (1603–1867), Osaka grew into one of Japan's major cities and returned to its ancient role as a lively and important port. Its popular culture[12] was closely related to ukiyo-e depictions of life in Edo.
By 1780 Osaka was sponsoring a vibrant cultural life, as typified by its famous Kabuki theaters and Banraku puppet theaters.[13]
In 1837, Ōshio Heihachirō, a low-ranking samurai, led a peasant insurrection in response to the city's unwillingness to support the many poor and suffering families in the area. Approximately one-quarter of the city was razed before shogunal officials put down the rebellion, after which Ōshio killed himself.[14]
Osaka was opened to foreign trade by the government of the Bakufu at the same time as Hyōgo (modern Kobe) on 1 January 1868, just before the advent of the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration.[15]
Osaka residents were stereotyped in Edo literature from at least the 18th century. Jippenisha Ikku in 1802 depicted Osakans as stingy almost beyond belief. In 1809 the derogatory term "Kamigata zeeroku" was used by Edo residents to characterize inhabitants of the Osaka region in terms of calculation, shrewdness, lack of civic spirit, and the vulgarity of Osaka dialect. Edo writers aspired to samurai culture, and saw themselves as poor but generous, chaste, and public spirited. Edo writers by contrast saw "zeeroku" as obsequious apprentices, stingy, greedy, gluttonous, and lewd. To some degree Osaka residents are stigmatized by Tokyo observers in much the same way down to the present, especially in terms of gluttony. As a famous saying has it, "Osaka wa kuidaore" (Osaka people eat 'til they drop).[16]
[edit] Tags:Kobe,Tokyo,Jōdo Shinshū,Buddhist,Ishiyama Hongan-ji,Naniwa Imperial Palace,Oda Nobunaga,Toyotomi Hideyoshi,Four Divisions Of Society,Ukiyo-e,Kabuki,Banraku,Ōshio Heihachirō,Bakufu,Hyōgo,Boshin War,Meiji Restoration, | |
| Modern Osaka | |
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The modern municipality was established[17] in 1889 by government ordinance, with an initial area of 15 km², overlapping today's Chūō and Nishi wards. Later, the city went through three major expansions to reach its current size of 222 km².
Osaka was the industrial center most clearly defined in the development of capitalism in Japan. The rapid industrialization attracted many Korean immigrants, who set up a life apart for themselves.[18] The political system was pluralistic, with a strong emphasis on promoting industrialization and modernization.[19] Literacy was high and the educational system expanded rapidly, producing a middle class with a taste for literature and a willingness to support the arts.[20]
Like its European and American counterparts, Osaka displayed slums, unemployment, and poverty. In Japan it was here that municipal government first introduced a comprehensive system of poor relief, copied in part from British models. Osaka policymakers stressed the importance of family formation and mutual assistance as the best way to combat poverty. This minimized the cost of welfare programs.[21]
The devastation during World War II was enormous, as fleets of American B-29 bombers blasted away on a regular basis in the last year of the war. Many people fled and most of the industrial districts were severely damaged. However the city quickly rebuilt its infrastructure after 1945 and regained its status as a major industrial and cultural center.[22]
[edit] Tags: | |
| Derivation of name | |
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"Osaka" literally means "large hill" or "large slope." It is unclear when this name gained prominence over Naniwa, but the oldest usage of the name dates back to a 1496 text. Osaka, now written 大阪, was formerly written using a different second kanji as 大坂 prior to 1870. At the time, the partisans for the Meiji Restoration wished to avoid the second kanji being implicitly read as "士反," meaning samurai rebellion. The old writing is still in very limited use to emphasize history, but the second kanji 阪 is now universally considered referring to Osaka city and prefecture only, to distinguish it from homonyms in other Japanese prefectures.
[edit] Tags: | |
| Geography | |
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The city of Osaka has its west side open to Osaka Bay. It is otherwise completely surrounded by more than ten smaller cities, all of them in Osaka Prefecture, with one exception: the city of Amagasaki, belonging to Hyōgo Prefecture, in the northwest. The city occupies a larger area (about 13%) than any other city or village within Osaka Prefecture. When the city was established in 1889, the city occupied roughly what today are the wards of Chuo and Nishi, with only 15.27 square kilometres (3,773 acres) size, and grew into today's 222.30 square kilometres (54,932 acres) over several expansions. The biggest leap was in 1925, when 126.01 square kilometres (31,138 acres) was claimed through an expansion. The highest point in Osaka is in Tsurumi-ku at 37.5 metres (123.0 ft) Tokyo Peil, and the lowest point is in Nishiyodogawa-ku at −2.2 metres (−7.2 ft) Tokyo Peil.[23]
[edit] Tags: | |
| Climate | |
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Osaka belongs to the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Its winters are generally mild, with January being the coldest month having an average high of 9.3 °C (49 °F). The city rarely sees snowfall during the winter. Spring in Osaka starts off mild, but ends up being hot and humid. It also tends to be Osaka’s wettest season, with the Tsuyu or rainy season occurring between late May to early July. Summers are very hot and humid. In the months of July and August, the average daily high temperature approaches 35 °C (95 °F), while average nighttime temperatures typically hover around 25 °C (77 °F). Fall in Osaka sees a cooling trend, with the early part of the season resembling summer while the latter part of fall resembling winter.
Climate data for Osaka (1971–2000)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Average high °C (°F)
9.3
(48.7)
9.6
(49.3)
13.3
(55.9)
19.6
(67.3)
24.2
(75.6)
27.4
(81.3)
31.4
(88.5)
33.0
(91.4)
28.7
(83.7)
23.0
(73.4)
17.3
(63.1)
12.0
(53.6)
20.7
(69.3)
Average low °C (°F)
2.5
(36.5)
2.5
(36.5)
5.2
(41.4)
10.5
(50.9)
15.2
(59.4)
19.8
(67.6)
24.0
(75.2)
25.1
(77.2)
21.1
(70.0)
15.0
(59.0)
9.5
(49.1)
4.7
(40.5)
12.9
(55.2)
Precipitation mm (inches)
43.7
(1.72)
58.7
(2.311)
99.5
(3.917)
121.1
(4.768)
139.6
(5.496)
201.0
(7.913)
155.4
(6.118)
99.4
(3.913)
174.9
(6.886)
109.3
(4.303)
66.3
(2.61)
37.7
(1.484)
1,306.1
(51.421)
% humidity
61
60
59
60
62
69
70
67
68
66
64
62
64
Sunshine hours
141.9
130.9
158.2
183.6
199.5
149.5
186.2
210.6
149.4
161.5
146.6
149.2
1,967.1
Source: Japan Meteorological Association[24]
[edit] Tags: | |
| Cityscape | |
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A panoramic view over the city from Umeda Sky Building
A panoramic view over the city from Ritz Carlton Hotel in Umeda
[edit] Tags: | |
| Neighborhoods | |
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Umeda Sky Building
A crowd in Dōtonbori
Central Osaka is often divided into two areas referred to as Kita (キタ, lit. north) and Minami (ミナミ, lit. south), at either end of the major thoroughfare Midōsuji.[25] Kita is roughly the area surrounding the business and retail district of Umeda. Minami is home to the Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Dōtonbori shopping districts. The entertainment district around Dōtonbori Bridge with its famous giant mechanical crab, Triangle Park, and Amerikamura ("America Village") is in Minami. In Yodoyabashi and Honmachi, between Kita and Minami, is the traditional business area where courts and national/regional headquarters of major banks are located. The newer business area is in the Osaka Business Park located nearby Osaka Castle. Business districts have also formed around the secondary rail termini, such as Tennoji Station and Kyobashi Station.
“The 808 bridges of Naniwa” was an expression in old Japan for awe and wonder, an adage known across the land. “808” was a large number which symbolized the idea of “uncountable”. In the Edo period there were only about 200 bridges. Since Osaka is crossed by a number of rivers and canals, many bridges were built with specific names, and the areas surrounding the bridges were often referred to by the names of the bridges, too. Some of the waterways, such as the Nagahori canal, have been filled in, while others still remain.[26] In 1925, there were actually 1629 bridges in Osaka but with the filling in of canals and rivers, as of April 2003, the number has dropped to 872, 760 of which are currently managed by Osaka City.[27]
[edit] Tags: | |
| Wards | |
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A map of Osaka's Wards
Osaka has 24 wards (ku):
Abeno-ku
Asahi-ku
Chūō-ku
Fukushima-ku
Higashinari-ku
Higashisumiyoshi-ku
Higashiyodogawa-ku
Hirano-ku
Ikuno-ku
Jōtō-ku
Kita-ku - administrative center
Konohana-ku
Minato-ku
Miyakojima-ku
Naniwa-ku
Nishi-ku
Nishinari-ku
Nishiyodogawa-ku
Suminoe-ku
Sumiyoshi-ku
Taishō-ku
Tennōji-ku
Tsurumi-ku
Yodogawa-ku
[edit] Tags: | |
| Demographics | |
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According to the census in 2005, there were 2,628,811 residents in Osaka, an increase of 30,037 or 1.2% from 2000.[28] There were 1,280,325 households with approximately 2.1 persons per household. The population density was 11,836 persons per km². The Great Kanto Earthquake caused a mass migration to Osaka between 1920 and 1930, and the city became Japan's largest city in 1930 with 2,453,573 people, outnumbering even Tokyo, which had a population of 2,070,913. The population peaked at 3,252,340 in 1940, and had a post-war peak of 3,156,222 in 1965, but continued to decrease since, as the residents moved out to the suburbs.[29]
There were 99,775 registered foreigners, the two largest groups being Korean (71,015) and Chinese (11,848). Ikuno, with its Tsuruhashi district, is the home to one of the largest population of Korean residents in Japan, with 27,466 registered zainichi Koreans.[30][31]
[edit] Tags: | |
| Dialect | |
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See also: Kansai-ben
The commonly spoken dialect of this area is Osaka-ben. Of the many other particularities that characterize Osaka-ben, an example is the use of the suffix hen instead of nai in the negative of verbs.
[edit] Tags:Kansai, | |
| Politics | |
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Local administration
The Mayor and the Council
Osaka City Hall
Mayor:
Toru Hashimoto
Vice Mayors:
Akira Morishita,
Takashi Kashiwagi
City Council
President:
Toshifumi Tagaya (LDP)
Members:
89 councilors (1 vacant)
Factions:
Liberal Democratic Party
and Citizen's Club (33),
Komei Party (20),
Democratic Party of Japan
and Citizens' Coalition (19),
Japanese Communist Party (16)
Seats by districts:
Ward (no. of seats)
Abeno-ku (4),
Asahi-ku (4),
Chūō-ku (2),
Fukushima-ku (2),
Higashinari-ku (3),
Higashisumiyoshi-ku (5),
Higashiyodogawa-ku (6),
Hirano-ku (6),
Ikuno-ku (5),
Jōtō-ku (5),
Kita-ku (3),
Konohana-ku (3),
Minato-ku (3),
Miyakojima-ku (3),
Naniwa-ku (2),
Nishi-ku (2),
Nishinari-ku (5),
Nishiyodogawa-ku (3),
Suminoe-ku (4),
Sumiyoshi-ku (6),
Taishō-ku (3),
Tennōji-ku (2),
Tsurumi-ku (3),
Yodogawa-ku (5)
Website
Osaka City Council
Note: As of March 10th, 2009
See also: Local Autonomy Law and Municipalities of Japan
The Osaka City Council is the city's local government formed under the Local Autonomy Law. The Council has eighty-nine seats, allocated to the twenty-four wards proportional to their population and re-elected by the citizens every four years. The Council elects its President and Vice President. Toshifumi Tagaya (LDP) is the current and 104th President since May 2008. The Mayor of the city is directly elected by the citizens every four years as well, in accordance with the Local Autonomy Law. Toru Hashimoto, former governor of Osaka Prefecture is the 19th mayor of Osaka since 2011. The mayor is supported by two Vice Mayors, currently Akira Morishita and Takashi Kashiwagi, who are appointed by him in accordance with the city bylaw.[32]
Osaka also houses several agencies of the Japanese Government. Below is a list of Governmental Offices housed in Osaka.
Japan Coast Guard, Fifth Regional Headquarters
Japan Fair Trade Commission; Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku Office
Kinki Regional Finance Bureau
Kinki Regional Economy, Trade and Industry Bureau
Kinki Regional Transportation Bureau
Kinki Communications Bureau
Kinki Regional Development Bureau
Kinki Regional Police Bureau
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Osaka Office
Osaka Customs
Osaka District Court
Osaka Family Court
Osaka High Court
Osaka Immigration
Osaka Labour Bureau
Osaka Meteorological Observatory
Osaka Public Prosecutors Office
Osaka Regional Aerospace Bureau
Osaka Regional Law Bureau
Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau
Osaka Summary Court
[edit] Tags:Local Autonomy Law, | |
| Economy | |
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Main article: Hanshin Industrial Region
See also Companies based in Osaka
Greater Osaka Area has the 7th largest metropolitan economy in the world after Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, and London
The gross city product of Osaka in fiscal year 2004 was ¥21.3 trillion, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. The figure accounts for about 55% of the total output in the Osaka Prefecture and 26.5% in the Kinki region. In 2004, commerce, services, and manufacturing have been the three major industries, accounting for 30%, 26%, and 11% of the total, respectively Tags: | |
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