help save Japan’s visual heritage of daily life
support
70216-0013 - Kitahama, Osaka

Osaka 1920s
Kitahama, Nakanoshima

Artist Unknown
Publisher Unknown
Medium Postcard
Period Taisho
Location Osaka
Image No. 70216-0013
Purchase Digital File
Author

This postcard from the 1920s shows Osaka’s Kitahama and Nakanoshima, an island sandwiched between the Dojima and Tosabori Rivers. Nakanoshima has already been thoroughly modernized.

The red-colored stately building with the orange roof is the Osaka Central Public Hall (中央公会堂). Behind it is the Prefectural Library and behind that Osaka City Hall.

Osaka Central Public Hall was designed by Shinichiro Okada (岡田 信一郎, 1883-1932) and opened in 1918 (Taisho 7). The construction was made possible by the financial contribution of 1 million yen by speculator and businessman Einosuke Iwamoto (岩本 栄之助, 1877-1916). Unfortunately, Iwamoto lost his fortune in the market and committed suicide before the building was finished. He was only 39 years old.

Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library (大阪府立中之島図書館) was designed by Magoichi Noguchi (野口孫市, 1869-1915) and Yutaka Hidaka (日高胖, 1875-1952) and constructed in 1904.

Osaka City Hall was built between 1918 (Taisho 7) and 1921 (Taisho 10). It was designed by representative Meiji Era architects like Yasushi Kataoka, Hikotaro Imabayashi and others, who followed an original design by Yokichi Ogawa. Starting in 1982 (Showa 57) it was gradually torn down and in 1986 (Showa 61) it was replaced by a modern building.

Osaka Central Public Hall and Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library still stand.

These three buildings and the nearby court effectively made Nakanoshima Osaka’s new city center. Until then, the city and prefectural government had been located on the island of Enokojima, on the far-western end of Nakanoshima and closer to Osaka’s old harbor.

For other photos of Nakanoshima, click here.

Published
Updated

Leave a Comment

Reader Supported

Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.

To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.

I share what I have found for free on this site, without ads or selling your data.

Your support helps me to continue doing so, and ensures that this exceptional visual heritage will not be lost and forgotten.

Thank you,
Kjeld Duits

support

Reference for Citations

Duits, Kjeld (). Osaka 1920s: Kitahama, Nakanoshima, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on March 29, 2024 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/413/kitahama-nakanoshima

Explore More

…

Yokohama 1900s
Nogemachi-dori

This simple scene, immortalized by an anonymous photographer on a day in the early 1900s, shows a street that once was Yokohama’s main route of entry, Nogemachi-dori.

…

Nagasaki 1880s
Ebisu Shrine and Harbor

A beautiful view of Nagasaki Harbor and Ebisu Shrine (恵美須神社) taken from Akunoura (飽の浦). The mountains to the left are Mt. Konpira (金比羅山) and Mt. Tateyama (立山).

…

Tokyo 1870s
The Birth of Ginza

Rickshaws on Tokyo’s Ginza avenue in the late 1870s. This intersection, now the location of the luxurious Wako store, was the information center of the Japanese empire.

Add Comment

There are currently no comments on this article.