Sakai, Osaka
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CityHallPostalCode = 590-0078|
CityHallAddress=Sakai-shi
Sakai-ku, Minami-Kawaramachi 3-1|
CityHallPhone = 072-233-1101|
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Sakai (堺市; -shi) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. 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 in Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fifteenth most populous city in Japan. Image:NintokuTomb.jpg The current city was legally founded on April 1, 1889 according to the laws of Imperial Japan. Sakai became a designated city on April 12006, giving it a greater measure of self-determination in governmental affairs. It is divided in seven districts.
Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the 5th century. The largest of these, Daisen Kofun, is believed to be the grave of the Emperor Nintoku and is the largest grave in the world (by volume). Sakai is also famous for the quality of its Japanese-style kitchen knives. Most high-quality Japanese cutlery originates in Sakai, and its production is a major industry in the city.
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History
Image:Kongorikishi statue from 14th century Japan.jpg In the Muromachi Period Sakai was one of richest cities in Japan. Sakai is located on the edge of Osaka Bay and at the mouth of the Yamato River, which connected the Yamato region (now Nara Prefecture) 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 Buddhist priest Ikkyu chose to live in Sakai because of its free atmosphere. In the Sengoku Period some Christian priests visited Sakai and documented its prosperity. After the coming of Europeans Sakai became a trade center of firearms, and a daimyo, Oda Nobunaga, 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, seized power. Sakai became a prosperous city again under his reign.
Sen no Rikyu, known as the greatest master of the tea ceremony, 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, 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 accident, because the Japanese citizenry and the foreigners were ignorant of each others' ways. French sailors from the Dupleix and Sakai citizens clashed; some French were killed, and subsequently the Japanese responsible for these deaths were sentenced to death by seppuku. This accident is called the Sakai Incident (Sakai-jiken).
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 bicycle parts. With a population of over 800,000, it is the largest suburb of Osaka City and the fifteenth-largest city in Japan.
Wards
Sakai has 7 wards (ku):
Sister cities
Famous People of Sakai
- Emperor Nintoku
- Ikkyu
- Sen no Rikyu
- Hideo Nomo worked in Shin-nittetsu Sakai and played on its club team before he was scouted by the Kintetsu Buffaloes.
External links
- Sakai official website in Japanese
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| Major Cities (Cities designated by government ordinance) | ||
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es:Sakai (Osaka) eo:Sakai fr:Sakai ko:사카이 시 la:Sacaia ja:堺市 pt:Sakai (Osaka) zh:堺市