Sakai, Osaka

Sakai (堺市; -shi) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of largest and important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.

History

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 Yamago River, which connected the Yamato region (now Nara Prefecture) to the sea. Sakai thus helped to connect Asian trade with inland trade.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sakai was an autonomous city run by merchants 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 loved 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 citizens denied his order and made an desperate war 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.

Related Topics:
Zen - Ikkyu - Sengoku Period - Christian - Firearms - Daimyo - Oda Nobunaga - Toyotomi Hideyoshi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sen no Rikyu, known as the greatest master of the tea ceremony, was originally a merchant of

Related Topics:
Sen no Rikyu - Tea ceremony

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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).

Related Topics:
Edo Period - Bakufu - French - ''Dupleix'' - Seppuku

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In modern times, Sakai is mainly an industrial city with a large port. It is known for its knives and is the home of Shimano bicycle parts. With a population of over 800,000, it is now the largest suburb of Osaka City and the fifteenth-largest city in Japan.

Related Topics:
Shimano - Osaka City

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~