Osaka

Osaka 大阪市
Osaka's location in Osaka, Japan.
Osaka's location in Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Osaka
Physical characteristics
Area	222.11 km2 (85.76 sq mi)
Population (as of January 1, 2007)
Total	2,643,805
Density	11,893 /km2 (30,803 /sq mi)
Location	34°41′37.54″N 135°30′7.83″E / 34.6937611°N 135.502175°E / 34.6937611; 135.502175Coordinates: 34°41′37.54″N 135°30′7.83″E / 34.6937611°N 135.502175°E / 34.6937611; 135.502175
Symbols
Tree	Sakura
Flower	Pansy
Flag
Osaka Government Office
Mayor	Kunio Hiramatsu
Address	1-3-20 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 530-8201
Phone number	06-6208-8181
Official website: City of Osaka

Osaka (大阪市, Ōsaka-shi^?) listen (help·info) is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū.

Osaka is a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture. Osaka was historically the commercial capital of Japan, and to date the heart of Japan's second largest metropolitan area of Keihanshin (Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto), whose population is 18,643,915.^[1]

A unique record that the city of Osaka holds in Japan is the largest difference between daytime and nighttime population—141%^[2]—a depiction of Osaka's economic– and commerce–centric character. While at night time the population ranks third in the country at 2.6 million, in daytime it surges to 3.7 million, second only after Tokyo.^[3]

Osaka is traditionally considered the "nation's kitchen" (天下の台所, tenka no daidokoro^?) or the gourmet food capital of Japan

Prehistory to the Kofun period

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.^[4]

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.^[4][8]

[edit] Asuka and Nara periods

In 645, Emperor Kōtoku built his palace, the Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace in Osaka^[9], 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).^[10] 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.^[4][11]

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] Heian – Edo period

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, the temple was razed, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi constructed Osaka Castle in its place.

Osaka was, for a long time, Japan's most important ^[12] 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^[13] was closely related to ukiyo-e depictions of life in Edo. Developing in parallel with the urban culture of Kyoto and Edo, Osaka likewise featured bunraku and grand kabuki productions, pleasure quarters, and a lively artistic community.

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]

[edit] Modern Osaka

The modern municipality was established^[15] 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.

[edit] Derivation of name

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. The old writing is still in very limited use to emphasize history.

Osaka (大阪市, Ōsaka-shi^?) listen (help·info) is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū.

Osaka is a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture. Osaka was historically the commercial capital of Japan, and to date the heart of Japan's second largest metropolitan area of Keihanshin (Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto), whose population is 18,643,915.^[1]

A unique record that the city of Osaka holds in Japan is the largest difference between daytime and nighttime population—141%^[2]—a depiction of Osaka's economic– and commerce–centric character. While at night time the population ranks third in the country at 2.6 million, in daytime it surges to 3.7 million, second only after Tokyo.^[3]

Osaka is traditionally considered the "nation's kitchen" (天下の台所, tenka no daidokoro^?) or the gourmet food capital of Japan.

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.^[4]

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