Ōsaka

Ōsaka, city and port in Japan, on southern Honshū Island on Ōsaka Bay, at the mouth of the Yodo River, near Kyōto. Ōsaka is the capital of Ōsaka Prefecture and one of the largest cities in Japan, both in area and in population. It ranks among the busiest ports in the nation and accommodates major oceangoing vessels.

Ōsaka is a major industrial city and a financial and commercial center. Industries include the manufacture of steel, machinery, textiles, ships, automobiles, electrical equipment, and cement. The city is intersected by many canals spanned by bridges and has several parks. The largest, Tennoji Park, contains botanical gardens. The city is the home of Japanese drama, particularly bunraku (puppet theater). Ōsaka University (1931), Kansai University (1886), and Ōsaka City University (1949) are here. Ōsaka was the site of an international exposition in 1970. Ōsaka has two airports; one of them, Kansai International Airport, sits on an artificially created island in Ōsaka Bay.

The city dates from about ad 300, when it was known as Naniwa. In 1583 the Japanese general and statesman Toyotomi Hideyoshi made Ōsaka his feudal capital, and Ōsaka Castle was built and completed. During Toyotomi’s administration Ōsaka became a flourishing center of commerce. Ōsaka was incorporated as a city in 1889. Two years later some 10,000 lives were lost in an earthquake. The city was also damaged by fires in 1909 and 1912. In 1995 a strong earthquake struck below Awaji Island, across the bay from Ōsaka. The quake was felt throughout the area, although the greatest loss of life and structural damage occurred in Kōbe. The Bay Coast Highway in Ōsaka collapsed, as did the main road connection between Ōsaka and Kōbe, the Hanshin Expressway. Population 2,516,543 (2008).