Osaka: once and future city
Authors
Citation
ARCH : the Asian magazine of architecture, design and visual communications, v.2, no.2, 1989, pp. 122-129
Abstract
As one of the oldest cities in Japan Osaka has been a force in Japanese society and commerce for some 1600 years. In the early 4th century it became the capital of the 16th emperor, Nintoku, and for the next 1000 years was the scene of great upheavals. The special asset which made Osaka strategically so important throughout Japanese history was its superb natural harbour, and this naturally made the city a focal point for merchants of many Southeast Asian nations, from China to Korea and beyond. In 1580, when the legendary warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, first lord of Japan, was seeking a suitable site for his seat of government, he chose Osaka and the city prospered accordingly. In the rich and peaceful Tokugawa Era which followed for the next 270 years Osaka easily laid claim to the distinction of being the first commercial and industrial city of Japan, a centre of finance, solid administration and even a birthplace of the arts - the literature of the people. Finally, in 1889 the City of Osaka was municipalised and began the transition to becoming a city of the 20th century, much in advance of most of Japan. After pulling itself out of the ashes of the devastation which the Second World War wrought upon it. Osaka, in the last twenty years has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. Today, once more, the City of Osaka stands on a threshold, and is preparing to meet the challenges of the future: Osaka, city of the 21st century.
Description
Type
Article
Format
Date
1989
Language
en