Timeline of Osaka

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Osaka, Japan.

Prior to 19th century

Part of a series on the
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Glossary History Timeline
v t e

• 211 CE –
  Sumiyoshi taisha
  (shrine) founded.
• 593 CE – Shitennō-ji (temples) founded.
• 645 CE –
  Kōtoku
  in power.
• 672 –
  Tenmu in power.^[2]
• 724 –
  Shōmu in power.^[2]
• 794 – Japanese capital relocated from Naniwa to Heian-kyō.^[2]
• 1496 – Ishiyama Hongan-ji construction begins (approximate date).^[3][4]
• 1583 – Osaka Castle construction begins.^[4][5]
• 1614 – November: Siege of Osaka begins.
• 1615
  • June: Siege of Osaka ends.
  • Dōtonbori (canal) built.
• 1684 – Takemoto-za puppet theatre opens.^[6]
• 1720 – Sasa-se theatre fan club founded.^[7]
• 1724 – Kaitokudō merchant academy established.^[8]

• Gallery
• 
  Sumiyoshi Taisha

  Grand Shrine
• 
  Shitennoji
• 
  Remains of Naniwa-no-Miya Palace (2017)

19th century

• 1805 – Bunrakuza puppet theatre opens (approximate date).^[6]
• 1837 – Economic/social unrest led by Ōshio Heihachirō.^[1]
• 1838 – Tekijuku (school) opens.^[6]
• 1868
  • European commerce begins.^[9][5]
  • City becomes part of Osaka Municipal Prefecture.^[6]
• 1869 – Tokyo-Osaka steamship line begins operating.^[10]
• 1871
  • Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka postal service begins.^[11]
  • Imperial Mint built.^[12][13]
• 1874 – Kobe-Osaka railway begins operating;^[14] Ōsaka Station (with clocktower) opens.^[15]
• 1875 – Meiji political Osaka Conference of 1875 held.
• 1876 – Osaka Nippō (newspaper) begins publication.
• 1878 –
  Osaka Stock Exchange and Osaka Chamber of Commerce [ja] [1]^[16]
  established.
• 1879 –
  Asahi Shimbun (newspaper) begins publication.^[17]
• 1880 – Osaka Commercial Training Institute [ja] established.
• 1881 –
  Osaka Iron Works established.^[10][18]
• 1882
  • Osaka Boseki Kaisha (spinning mill) in business.
  • Population: 332,425.^[4]
• 1884 –
  Osaka Shosen Kaisha (shipping firm) in business.^[19]
• 1887 – Population: 426,846.[4]
• 1888 – Osaka Mainichi Shinbun [ja] (newspaper) begins publication.^[20]
• 1890 – Nakanoshima Park opens.^[13]
• 1892
  • December 20: Fire.^[9]
  • Population: 479,895.^[4]
• 1895
  • Sumitomo Bank established.^[21][22]
  • Kyōbashi Station built.^{[citation needed]}
• 1897
  • Parts of Higashinari-gun [ja] and Nishinari-gun [ja] annexed to Osaka city.^[23]
  • Demonstration of Lumière "projected pictures" at the Nanchi Embujo theatre.^[24]
  • Population: 758,285.^[4]
• 1900 – Population: 881,344 city; 1,678,422 prefecture.^[25]

20th century

1900s–1940s

• 1901 – Satirical Kokkei Shinbun [ja] begins publication.^[26][27]
• 1903 – National Industrial Exposition (Japan) [ja] held in Osaka.^[28][4]
• 1904 – Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library opens.
• 1905 – Maruki-go bakery in business.^[29]
• 1909 – Tennōji Park established.
• 1910 – Population: 1,239,373 city; 2,197,201 prefecture.^[25]
• 1915 – Tennōji Zoo founded.^[30]
• 1917 – City planning committee formed.^[14]
• 1918
  • City Social Bureau established.^[14]
  • Osaka Central Public Hall [ja] built.^[31]
• 1919 – Miki Hall (concert venue) opens.^[31]
• 1920
  • Shirokiya department store built.^[29]
  • Population: 1,768,295.^[32]
• 1922 – Daimaru department store built.^[29]
• 1923
  • Sharp in business.^[33]
  • Seki Hajime [fr] becomes mayor.^[34]
• 1924 – Osaka Photographic Science Society founded.^[35]
• 1925
  • City wards established: Higashinari, Higashiyodogawa, Konohana, Minato, Naniwa, Nishinari, Nishiyodogawa, Sumiyoshi, and Tennōji.
  • "Public radio broadcasting commences."^[17]
  • Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.
    established.
  • Population: 2,114,804.^[32]
• 1926 – Asahi Kaikan (concert hall) opens.^[31]
• 1927 – Dojima Ohashi [ja] (bridge) built over Dojima River.^[18]
• 1928 – Osaka University of Commerce active.
• 1929
  • Kosobe Conservatory (garden) established.^[36]
  • Hankyu Department Store opens in Umeda Station.^{[citation needed]}
• 1930 – Population: 2,453,573 city; 3,540,017 prefecture.^[25]
• 1931 – National Defense Women's Association founded in Osaka.^[11][37]
• 1932 – City wards established: Asahi and Taishō.
• 1933
  • Subway Midōsuji Line begins operating.
  • Sanwa Bank established.^[22]
• 1936
  • Osaka Tigers
    baseball team formed.
  • Osaka Municipal Museum of Art [ja
    ] opens.
• 1940
  • January 28: Train crash at Ajikawaguchi Station.^[12]
  • Population: 3,252,340 city;^[38] 4,843,032 prefecture.^[25]
• 1942
  • Osaka Shimbun [ja] (newspaper) in publication.^[16]
  • Subway Yotsubashi Line begins operating.
• 1943
  • City wards established: Abeno, Fukushima, Higashisumiyoshi, Ikuno, Jōtō, and Miyakojima.
  • Hitachi Zosen Corporation in business.^[18]
• 1945
  • March 13: Bombing of Osaka during World War II begins.
  • August 14: Bombing of Osaka ends.
  • Population: 1,102,959.^[39]
  • Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau established.
• 1947
  • Kansai Symphony Orchestra founded.
  • Population: 1,559,310.^[38]
• 1948 – Grand Sumo tournament begins.^[40]
• 1949 –
  Osaka Securities Exchange^[16]
  active.

• 1950 – Population: 1,956,136.[39]
• 1955
  • Cinerama Gekijo opens.^[41]
  • Sankei Sports newspaper begins publication.^[16]
  • Population: 2,547,321.^[32]
• 1956
  • Tsūtenkaku (tower) built.
  • Osaka designated a government ordinance city.^[42]
• 1957 – Sister city relationship established with San Francisco, USA.^[43]
• 1958 – Radio Osaka begins broadcasting.
• 1961
  • September: Typhoon Muroto II occurs.^[12]
  • Subway
    Chūō Line
    begins operating.
• 1964
  • Tokyo-Osaka Tōkaidō Shinkansen (hi-speed train) begins operating.^[12]
  • Nagai Stadium opens.
• 1967 – Subway Tanimachi Line begins operating.
• 1968 – Osaka Sports [ja] newspaper in publication.^[16]
• 1969 – Subway Sakaisuji Line and Sennichimae Line begin operating.
• 1970
  • April: Gas explosion in Kita-ku.^[12]
  • Expo '70 (world's fair) held in Osaka.^[44]
• 1972
  • May 13: Sennichi Department Store Building fire.
  • Osaka Expo '70 Stadium
    opens.
• 1974 – City wards established: Hirano, Suminoe, Tsurumi, and Yodogawa.
• 1975 – Population: 2,780,000.^[45]
• 1977 – National Museum of Art, Osaka opens.
• 1979 – Capsule Inn Osaka in business.^[46]
• 1980 – Osaka Symphony Orchestra [ja] established.^[47]
• 1982
  • Osaka International Ladies Marathon
    begins.
  • Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka established.
• 1983 – Osaka-jō Hall (arena) opens.
• 1984 – National Bunraku Theatre opens.^[2]
• 1987 –
  Kincho Stadium
  opens.
• 1989
  • City wards established: Chūō and Kita.
  • Osaka Science Museum opens.
• 1990
  • Subway Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line begins operating.
  • Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan opens.
  • Garden and Greenery Exposition held in city.^[48]
• 1993 – Umeda Sky Building constructed.
• 1995
  • January 17: The 6.9 M_w  Great Hanshin earthquake shakes the southern Hyōgo Prefecture with a maximum Shindo of VII, leaving 5,502–6,434 people dead, and 251,301–310,000 displaced in the region.
  • Takafumi Isomura becomes mayor.
• 1996 – Osaka Prefectural Central Library opens.^[49]
• 1997 –
  Kyocera Dome
  open.
• 1999 –
  Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
  opens in nearby Ikeda.

21st century

• 2001 – June 8: Osaka school massacre occurs in nearby Ikeda.
• 2006 – Subway Imazatosuji Line begins operating.
• 2007 – Kunio Hiramatsu becomes mayor.
• 2009 – Kansai Music Conference begins.
• 2010 – Population: 2,665,314.^[50]
• 2011 – Tōru Hashimoto becomes mayor.^[51]
• 2013 – Festival Hall opens.
• 2014 – Population: 2,685,218.^[52]
• 2021 – December 17: A fire occurs in Kita ward.

See also

• Osaka history
• Osaka history (in Japanese; includes timeline)
• List of mayors of Osaka [ja]

References

This article incorporates information from the Japanese Wikipedia.

Bibliography

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Published in the 19th century

• hdl:2027/hvd.hw26ti
  – via Hathi Trust.

Published in the 20th century

• "Osaka". Guide Book for Tourists in Japan. Yokohama: Obun Printing Co. 1903.
• Souvenir Guide to Osaka and the Fifth National Industrial Exhibition. Hakurankwai Kyosankwai. 1903.
• "Osaka" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1910. p. 344.
• "Osaka (Settsu)", Handbook for Travellers in Japan (9th ed.), London:
  hdl:2027/nnc1.50290956
• T. Philip Terry (1914), "Osaka", Terry's Japanese Empire, Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
  LCCN 14005129
• Robert P. Porter (1915), "The Larger Cities: Osaka", Japan, the New World-Power (2nd ed.), London: Oxford University Press
• hdl:2027/uc1.$b193211
  .
• Osaka-fu tokeisho: 1940 [Osaka Prefecture Statistics] (in Japanese), Osaka-fu, 1941
• ISBN 978-1-135-67247-8
  .
• William B. Hauser (1977), "Osaka: A Commercial City in Tokugawa Japan", Urbanism Past and Present, 5,
  ISSN 0160-2780
• S. Matsudaira (1984). "Hiiki Renchū (Theatre Fan Clubs) in Osaka in the Early Nineteenth Century". Modern Asian Studies. 18 (4): 699–709.
  S2CID 143950026
  .
• Albert Altman (1990). "The proprietors assert themselves: the Osaka Asahi shinbun and the Osaka Mainichi shinbun in the late nineteenth century". In Peter Lowe and Herman Moeshart (ed.). Western Interactions With Japan: Expansions, the Armed Forces and Readjustment 1859–1956. Japan Library.
  ISBN 978-1-135-88102-3
  .
• Kuniko Fujita and Richard Child Hill, ed. (1993). "Osaka and Tokyo Compared". Japanese Cities. USA: Temple University Press.
  ISBN 978-1-4399-0092-5
  .
• Schellinger and Salkin, ed. (1996). "Osaka". International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania. UK: Routledge. p. 648+.
  ISBN 9781884964046
  .
• James L. McClain and Wikita Osamu, ed. (1999). "Chronology". Osaka: The Merchants' Capital of Early Modern Japan. Cornell University Press.
  ISBN 0-8014-3630-3
  .
• Ian Martin Röpke (1999). Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto. Historical Dictionaries of Cities of the World. Maryland, USA:
  ISBN 978-0-8108-3622-8
  .

Published in the 21st century

• Carl Mosk (2001). "Manchester of the Far East". Japanese Industrial History: Technology, Urbanization, and Economic Growth. M.E. Sharpe.
  ISBN 978-0-7656-3855-7
  .
• Blair A. Ruble (2001). Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka. Cambridge University Press.
  ISBN 978-0-521-80179-9
  .
• Jeffrey E. Hanes (2002). The City As Subject: Seki Hajime and the Reinvention of Modern Osaka. University of California Press.
  ISBN 978-0-520-92683-7
  .
• Richard Tames (2008). "Historical Gazetteer: Osaka". A Traveller's History of Japan (4th ed.). USA:
  ISBN 978-1-56656-404-5
  .
• ISBN 978-1-78093-977-3
  . (first published in 1987)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Osaka.

• Items related to Osaka, various dates (via Europeana).
• Items related to Osaka, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).