Sakai
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.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 792,497 and the density of 5,793.53 persons per km². The total area is 136.79 km².
The current city was legally founded on April 1, 1889 according to the law of the Imperial Japan.
History
In the Muromachi period Sakai was one of richest cities in Japan. It was an autonomous city run by merchants citizens. In those day it was said Umi Sakai, Riku Imai (tr. "The richest city along the sea is Sakai, inlands Imai."). The famous zen-buddist 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 fire arms and a daimyo Oda Nobunaga was one of their important customers. Nobunaga was so ambious to try unifying Japan and attempted to take the autonomy preverege from Sakai. Sakai citizens denied his order and made an desperate war against his army. Most of citizens flied out somewhere and Sakai was burned and seized by Nobunaga.
Sen no Rikyu known as the great tea master was originally a merchant of
Sakai. Because of the close relationship between Chanoyu and Zen buddhism like Priest Ikkyu, and of the high prosperity of citizens, Sakai was one of center for tea favorites since the early time.
In the Edo period in another name Sakai was still an important trade center but now only inland trade for the sake of Tokugawa Bakufu policy, named Sakoku. Later the end of this era Westerners landed again to Sakai, but it resulted in a tragic accident, since citizens and foreigners were ignorant of eachother's ways. French troops and Sakai citizens clashed with some French were injured, thus some Japanese who were responsible were sentenced death by seppuku. This accident is called Sakai Case(Sakai-jiken).
In the modern Japan, Sakai is mainly a industrious city with a big port.
Persons
External Links
Referenced By
Aboriginal | Aboriginals | City | Core city | History of cities | Indigenous Peoples | Indigenous community | Indigenous people | Japan/Transportation | Malay Peninsula | Malayan Peninsula | Osaka Bay | Osaka Prefecture | Primitive tribe | Primitive tribes | Transportation in Japan | Transportation of Japan | Yosano Akiko
|
