Sakai, Osaka

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Sakai, Osaka

is a city

Cities of Japan

|||}A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of ....
in Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka, Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area....
, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.

Following the February 2005 annexation of Mihara Town

Mihara, Osaka

was a towns of Japan located in Minamikawachi District, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 38,956 and a population density of 2,951.21 persons per km?....
in Minamikawachi District

Minamikawachi District, Osaka

Minamikawachi is a districts of Japan located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 77,576 and a population density of 861.86 persons per km?....
, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in Japan, with 833,414 residents as of 2007-05-01. The current city was legally founded on April 1, 1889 according to the laws of Imperial Japan.

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Encyclopedia

is a city

Cities of Japan

|||}A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of ....
in Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka, Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area....
, Japan

Japan

Mihara, Osaka

Minamikawachi District, Osaka

The current city was legally founded on April 1, 1889 according to the laws of Imperial Japan. Sakai became a designated city in April 2006 giving it a greater measure of self-determination in governmental affairs. It is divided into seven districts

Wards of Japan

A ku , conventionally translated as ward is a district in a large Japanese city. Wards are used to subdivide each City designated by government ordinance , as well as Tokyo ....
.

Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun

Kofun

are megalithic tombs or tumulus in Japan, constructed between early 3rd century and early 7th century. They gave their name to the Kofun period . Most of the Kofun have a keyhole-shaped mound , which was unique to ancient Japan....
, which date from the 5th century. The largest of these, Daisen Kofun, is believed to be the grave of the Emperor Nintoku

Emperor Nintoku

was the 16th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign....
and is the largest grave in the world by area. Once known for samurai swords, Sakai is now famous for the quality of its kitchen knives

Japanese kitchen knives

There are a number of different types of Japanese kitchen knives. The most commonly used types in the Cuisine of Japan are the deba bocho , the santoku hocho , the nakiri bocho and usuba hocho , and the tako hiki and yanagi ba ....
; most high-quality Japanese cutlery originates in Sakai, and its production is a major industry in the city.

History

In the Muromachi Period

Muromachi period

The was a division of History of Japan running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1336 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji....
Sakai was one of richest cities in Japan. Sakai is located on the edge of Osaka Bay

Osaka Bay

Osaka Bay is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait....
and at the mouth of the Yamato River, which connected the Yamato Province

Yamato Province

was a Provinces of Japan of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshu. It was also called . At first, the name was written with one different character , and for about ten years after 737, this was revised to use more desirable characters ....
(now Nara Prefecture

Nara Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan in the Kansai region on Honshu Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara, Nara....
) to the sea. Sakai thus helped to connect foreign trade with inland trade.

Sakai was an autonomous city run by merchant citizens. In those days it was said that the richest cities were Umi Sakai, Riku Imai (tr. "along the sea, Sakai; inlands, Imai"). The famous Zen

Zen

Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Ch?n. Ch?n is itself derived from the Sanskrit Dhyana, which means "meditation" ....
Buddhist priest Ikkyu

Ikkyu

was an Eccentricity , iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhism priest and poet. He had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals.....
chose to live in Sakai because of its free atmosphere. In the Sengoku Period

Sengoku period

The was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict in Japan that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century....
some Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
priests, including St. Francis Xavier in 1550, visited Sakai and documented its prosperity.

Kongorikishi Statue From 14th Century Japan

After the coming of Europeans Sakai became a trade center of firearm

Firearm

A firearm is a tool that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined combustion of a propellant....
s, and a daimyo

Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
, Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province....
, was one of their important customers. During his ambitious attempt to unify Japan, Nobunaga attempted to take the autonomy privilege from Sakai. Sakai's citizens denied his order and pitched a desperate battle against his army. Most citizens fled; Sakai was burned and seized by Nobunaga. After the death of Nobunaga, one of his men, Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
, seized power. Sakai became a prosperous city again under his reign.

Sen no Rikyu

Sen no Rikyu

is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony, particularly the tradition of wabi-cha. Rikyu is known by many names; for convenience this article will refer to him as Rikyu throughout....
, known as the greatest master of the tea ceremony

Japanese tea ceremony

What is commonly known in English as the Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or also chado or sado in Japanese....
, was originally a merchant of Sakai. Because of the close relationship between the tea ceremony and Zen Buddhism, and because of the prosperity of its citizens, Sakai was one of the main centers of the tea ceremony in Japan.

Sakai was still an important trade center during the Edo Period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
but was involved only in inland trade due to the Bakufu (Sakoku) policy of the Tokugawa government. At the end of this era Westerners again landed in Sakai, but it resulted in a tragic incident, because the Japanese citizenry and the foreigners were ignorant of each others' ways. French

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
sailors from the Dupleix

FS Dupleix (1861)

The Dupleix was a steam and sail corvette of the French French Navy. She was the first French vessel named after the 18th Century Governor of Puducherry and Gouverneur G?n?ral of the French possessions in India marquess Joseph Fran?ois Dupleix....
and Sakai citizens clashed; some French were killed, and subsequently the Japanese responsible for these deaths were sentenced to death by seppuku

Seppuku

is a form of Japanese Suicide#Ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have committed serious offenses, and for reason...
. This incident is called the .

In modern times, Sakai is an industrial city with a large port. As such, its western area suffered widespread damage from bombing raids during the Second World War. It is now known for its knives and is the home of Shimano

Shimano

Shimano, Inc. is a Japanese multinational corporation manufacturer of cycling components, fishing tackle, and snowboarding equipment.In 2005, the company had net sales of US $1.4 billion....
bicycle parts. With a population of over 800,000, it is the largest suburb of Osaka City and the fourteenth-largest city in Japan.

Wards

Sakai has seven wards

Wards of Japan

A ku , conventionally translated as ward is a district in a large Japanese city. Wards are used to subdivide each City designated by government ordinance , as well as Tokyo ....
(ku):

Sister cities and friendship cities

Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland, California and Emeryville, California....
, California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
- 1967 Lianyungang

Lianyungang

Lianyungang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Jiangsu province of China, People's Republic of China. It borders Yancheng to its southeast, Huai'an and Suqian to its south, Xuzhou to its southwest, and the province of Shandong to its north....
, Jiangsu

Jiangsu

is a Province of China of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou....
, People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the List of countries by population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately a fifth of the world's population....
- 1983 Tanegashima

Tanegashima

Tanegashima is an island lying to the south of Kyushu, in southern Japan, and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is the second largest of the Osumi Islands....
, Kagoshima

Kagoshima Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located on Kyushu island. The capital is the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima....
, Japan

Japan

Higashiyoshino, Nara

is a villages of Japan located in Yoshino District, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2007, the village has an estimated population of 2,426 and a population density of 18.40 persons per km?....
, Nara

Nara Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan in the Kansai region on Honshu Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara, Nara....
, Japan

Japan

Wellington

Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, situated at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington Urban Area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and ranks as New Zealand's third most populous Urban areas of New Zealand with residents....
, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
- 1994

Notables

Emperor Nintoku
Emperor Nintoku

was the 16th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign....
Gyoki
Gyoki

Gyoki was a Japanese Buddhism priest of Nara period, belonging to the Hosso Sect. He was technically an unlicensed priest , or ubasoku, however his popularity and administrative skill in public works later earned him a pardon from the government....
Ikkyu
Ikkyu

was an Eccentricity , iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhism priest and poet. He had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals.....
Sen no Rikyu
Sen no Rikyu

is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony, particularly the tradition of wabi-cha. Rikyu is known by many names; for convenience this article will refer to him as Rikyu throughout....
Tsuda Sogyu
Tsuda Sogyu

belonged to the influential family of merchants of Sakai, Osaka whose business name was Tennojiya. Together with his father, Tsuda Sotatsu, he built the Tennojiya into one of the most prosperous business houses in Sakai....
Imai Sokyu
Imai Sokyu

was an important 16th century merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, Osaka, and a master of the Japanese tea ceremony. His yago was Naya....
Ouchi Yoshihiro
Ouchi Yoshihiro

Ouchi Yoshihiro , the second son of Ouchi Hiroyo, and a member of the Ouchi family which served under Ashikaga Takauji. The Ouchi became known as the shugo of Suo Province and Nagato Province in 1363 for assisting the Ashikaga clan against many other opponents....
Takeno Joo
Takeno Joo

was a master of the Japanese tea ceremony and a well-known merchant during the Sengoku period of the 16th century in Japan.It is believed that the family descended from the Takeda clan who were guardians of Wakasa province....
Ore Ska Band
Ore Ska Band

is an all-female ska band from Sakai City. They have released two full albums in Japan, Ore in July 2006, and WAO!! in May 2007, as well as a self-titled compilation album for a US release, ORESKABAND ....
Nobuaki Kakuda
Nobuaki Kakuda

is a Japanese Seido Kaikan - Karate fighter, who is famous for his first punch knockout win over German 4-time Mixed martial arts World Champion Mavrick at 0:56 seconds in the K-1 Fields Europe GP 2005 as well as currently being the only K-1 fighter to lose to Akebono Taro, a former Sumo Champion whose long losing streak has made him a laughingsto...
Kentaro Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda, the members of the music group Kobukuro
Kobukuro

is a Japanese band , which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two members' family names, Kentaro Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda....
Akiko Yosano, Japanese poet and novelist
Hideo Nomo
Hideo Nomo

is a Japanese people former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to ....
worked in Shin-nittetsu Sakai and played on its club team before he was scouted by the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes

The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004....
.
Masayuki Ishikawa, author
Yudetamago
Yudetamago

is the pen name of the Japanese people mangaka duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman....
, mangaka
Mangaka

is the Japanese language word for a comic book creator or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese person....
duo (attended Hatsushiba High School in Higashi-ku)

Sakai, Osaka

History

Wards

Sister cities and friendship cities

Notables

External links