"Water City Osaka Waterside Walking Guide" The origins of Water City Osaka

From　The Osaka Plain Born from the Sea

Ancient Osaka was still under the sea. Approximately 6000 to 7000 years ago, during the Jomon period, the sea level of Osaka Bay was 1 to 2 meters higher than it is today, and the coastline extended deep into the area near the foot of the Ikoma Mountains, with the peninsula-like Uemachi Plateau jutting out to the north as if cutting through the sea. Eventually, a sandbar stretched out to the northern tip of the plateau, dividing it into "Osaka Bay" to the west and "Kawachi Bay" to the east.
Later, due to the uplift of the seabed caused by crustal movement and the deposition of sediment by the rivers flowing through the bay, the coastline of Osaka Bay retreated significantly to the west, forming the present-day Osaka Plain. Meanwhile, freshwaterization progressed in Kawachi Bay, which turned from Kawachigata to Kawachi Lake, and then to the Kawachi Lowlands.

Bear　Japan's gateway and international trading port

International trading port "Naniwazu"

At the northern end of the Uemachi Plateau, which had been land since ancient times, there was a port called "Nanatsu", which served as the terminus of the Silk Road. Many people traveled to Nanatsu, and cultural artifacts from China and other parts of the Silk Road were brought to Japan through Osaka, the gateway.
It was here in 2 that Naniwa Nagara Toyosaki Palace (Early Naniwa Palace), said to be Japan's first capital, was established. For about 651 years until the capital was moved to Heian, Naniwa Tsu played the role of the political and cultural center.

Transportation Routes in East Asia in the 8th and 9th Centuries
Source: "Millennium City Osaka: The Story of Urban Development," Osaka City Urban Engineering Information Center, 1999, p. 7

Domestic land and sea transport terminal "Watanabe no Tsu"

The riverbank from the current Tenmabashi to Tenjinbashi area has been called "Watanabe-tsu" since around the end of the 10th century. Pilgrimages to Kumano, heading for the Kumano Sanzan in Kii, would travel by boat from Kyoto down the Yodo River to Watanabetsu, and then travel overland along the Kumano Kaido from there. Shitennoji Temple and Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine are located along the route, and the route was also suitable for pilgrimages to Koyasan, so pilgrimages to Kumano, which were initially limited to visits by retired emperors, began to spread among the common people by the mid-15th century.

<Column> Japan's oldest bridge, "Tsuruhashi"

Osaka in the Edo period was praised for the number of bridges, with 14 bridges, and the oldest bridge in Japan was also located in Osaka. The Nihon Shoki records that "a bridge was built at Inoamazu" in November of the 986th year of Emperor Nintoku's reign (11). Inoamazu is also written as Ikai-no-tsu (Ikuno Ward, Osaka City). It was built as Lake Kawachi, located to the east of the ancient Kamimachi Plateau, gradually turned into land, and corresponds to the "Tsuru no Hashi" (crane bridge) that once spanned the Hirano River (formerly the Yamato River). The bridge was abolished when the Hirano River was filled in in 15, but a stone monument reading "The Site of the Crane Bridge" has been erected at the site.

Vine Chopstick Traces

Transfer　Osaka, the glorious water city

Osaka city development by Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Osaka Castle, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan, is quite large, stretching from the Okawa River to the north, the JR Osaka Loop Line to the east, the Karahori Shopping Arcade to the south, and the Higashi-Yokobori River to the west, all of which were the front line of defense. The castle tower at that time was located a little further northeast than the current castle tower, and was designed so that the castle tower could be seen directly ahead when traveling along the Kyo-kaido road from Kyoto to Osaka.
Initially, Hideyoshi planned to incorporate the economic base of the trading port of Sakai as an outer port, and planned to locate the city's functions to the north and south of Osaka Castle. However, in 1596, Sakai suffered devastating damage in a major earthquake, so he changed his plans to move the port functions from Sakai to Senba, west of Osaka Castle, and the development of the city expanded to the west.

Osaka Castle Town in the Toyotomi Era
Source: "Osaka Town Story", Naniwa Monogatari Research Group, Sogensha, 2000, p. 53

The canals that crisscross the city

The Higashiyokobori River, which flows north-south to the east of the castle, served not only to defend the castle but also as a drainage channel for the Kamimachi district where the castle was located. When Hideyoshi built the castle town on the west side of Osaka Castle, he also excavated the Nishiyokobori River, running north-south between the Semba district, which was dry land suitable for building, and the marshland further west, to channel the drainage water from the Semba district.
The sewer system, which was constructed to flow into the east-west moat rivers, was later called the "Taiko Sewer System" and was a groundbreaking idea for hygienic urban life. Approximately 20 km of the system is still in use today.
Furthermore, the Dotonbori River was built by connecting the Higashiyokobori River and the Nishiyokobori River from east to west and draining them into the Kizu River, allowing large amounts of water from the Yodo River to flow, thereby improving sanitation.
The excavation of canals continued into the Edo period, and townspeople who took the initiative in developing them were exempt from land taxes, so they competed with each other to develop them. As canals were created one after another, such as Edo Horikawa, Kyomachi Horikawa, Kaifu Horikawa, Nagahorikawa, Tachiuri Horikawa, and Satsuma Horikawa, numerous bridges were built along the way. There are two types of bridges: "public bridges" that were built and repaired at the expense of the shogunate, and "town bridges" that were built and repaired at the expense of townspeople. Comparing the number of bridges in Osaka and Edo, it is said that Osaka had about 200 bridges and Edo about 350. However, while in Edo, nearly half of the bridges, about 160, were public bridges, Osaka only had 12 public bridges, including Naniwabashi, Tenjinbashi, and Tenmabashi. The townspeople supported Osaka's bridges, which is why it is said to be "the XNUMX bridges of Naniwa."
In this way, the city developed to the point where travel by boat was possible, and logistics developed Osaka's economy. People also traveled by boat to see plays, and other activities unique to a city of water began to take shape.

"Newly Selected and Enlarged Map of Osaka" 1691
Source: "Osaka Construction History Night Talks: Collection of Osaka Old Maps" 1980 (Osaka Municipal Library Digital Archive)
The area west of Nishiyokoborikawa River, known as Shimofunaba, was marshy and difficult to build on, so the excavated soil was piled up on the coast to develop the land. As the ground level gets lower toward the west of Shimofunaba River, more soil was needed, and the canal became wider the further west it went.

The Edo Period: The city's prosperity as a water city

In 1684, as a measure to prevent flooding caused by the overflow of the Yodo River, a canal was dug to divide Kujo Island, which stood in the way of the mouth of the Yodo River. This Aji River allowed the water from the Yodo River to flow quickly into the sea, reducing flood damage, and also enabled ships that entered Osaka Bay to travel up the Aji River and reach the city center. This smooth waterway connection between the sea and the city led to Osaka's rapid development as a national logistics hub.
First, the "Nishi-mawari" sea route was opened, which ran west across the Sea of ​​Japan from Sakata in the Tohoku region, passing through Shimonoseki and entering Osaka from the Seto Inland Sea. This route was mainly used by Kitamae ships, bringing kelp and other products that would have a major impact on Osaka's food culture. Next, the "Eastern Mawari" sea route was developed, traveling from Sakata through the Tsugaru Straits and across the Pacific Ocean to Edo. An extension of this route was the "Nankai" sea route between Edo and Osaka, where many Hishigaki-kaisen and Taru-kaisen ships plied the way, and the mouth of the Aji River was so crowded with ships that it was said that there were "a thousand ships leaving and a thousand ships entering."

"Drawing of a New Cotton Ship with a Diamond-Wrapped Edge Setting Sail at the River Mouth" by Kansuitei Yoshitoyo, late Edo period (Osaka Municipal Library Digital Archive)
Every autumn, the new cotton harvested from Kawachi was transported to Edo as quickly as possible on Hishigaki Kaisen ships, and the "Shinmenbansen" race was a huge success, lasting for about 1694 years from around 180. When it first began, it took a month to travel from Osaka to Edo, but the speed gradually increased, and the fastest time recorded was 48 hours.

Connection　Water City Chapter 2

The end of the Golden Age

As Osaka entered the modern era in the Meiji period, Osaka Bay was established at the mouth of the Aji River, and a foreign settlement was established at Kawaguchi as a residential area for foreigners. A customs office and a telegraph office were also established at Kawaguchi Wharf, and it was expected to be the foundation of Osaka's modernization, but as it was a river port, it was difficult for large modern ships to enter, and that role was taken over by the Port of Kobe. Furthermore, with the development of land transportation through the construction of railways and road construction, the role of water transportation gradually diminished, and the golden age of the water city came to an end.

The bustle of the Kawaguchi settlement
"Seeing a radio wave from the water at the mouth of the Naniwa River" by Hasegawa Koshin, early Meiji period (Osaka City Library Digital Archive)

The Osaka Prefectural Government Office (currently Enokojima 2-chome, Nishi-ku, Osaka City) was located on the east bank of the Kizu River. It was also called the Enokojima Government.
(Osaka Municipal Library Digital Archive)

<Major reclaimed canals>
①Tenma Horikawa ②Nagahorikawa ③Takatsuiri Horikawa ④Nanba Shinkawa ⑤Nishi Yokohorikawa
⑥Edo Horikawa ⑦Kyomachi Horikawa ⑧Amafu Horikawa ⑨Awa (Za) Horikawa ⑩Tatemichi Horikawa
⑪ Satsuma Horikawa River ⑫ Horie River ⑬ Itachi River ⑭ Jusangen River ⑮ Sonezaki River

The inherited DNA of the water city

In the past, the existence of rivers was forgotten for a long time due to the decline of water transportation, which had driven Osaka's economy. However, as the period of high economic growth came to an end, reflection on the deterioration of the waterfront environment in Osaka finally began, and momentum for the restoration of Osaka's status as a water city grew. In 13, the Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, and the business community jointly proposed the "Water City Osaka Regeneration Plan," which aimed to revitalize the entire Osaka region by revitalizing the U-shaped river consisting of Nakanoshima, Higashi-Yokobori River, Dotonbori River, and Kizu River as a "water corridor." Furthermore, in 2001, the rules on the use of river spaces were relaxed, allowing commercial activities such as cafes, riverside terraces, and open terraces to be held on the waterfront, and lively waterfront spaces were created one after another. Today, the DNA of the water city that flows through the city of Osaka continues to be passed down from generation to generation, and a new seasonal calendar of waterfront life has been revived in Osaka's daily life, and the city continues to evolve into an attractive city that people want to live in and visit. Why not take a stroll along Osaka's waterfront and experience the city's history and future?

View from Kitahama Terrace on the south bank of the Tosabori River