Interior of the Toyobo cotton mill in Osaka’s Sangenya area. Cotton mills played a crucial role in transforming Japan from a feudal into an industrialized nation. Toyobo started off this revolution.
Osaka Castle in 1929. There is no main castle tower, and the castle is surrounded by factories instead of trees. At this time, Osaka was a city of smoke.
With this soft-focused photo of a confident young Japanese woman from the 1930s we take a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Duits Collection.
When the New Osaka Hotel opened in 1935, it was one of Japan’s finest hotels. It even boasted air-conditioned guest rooms, a world’s first. This rare pamphlet from its early days offers a fascinating peek inside.
Osaka’s Kitahama business district in the 1920s. New concrete buildings contrast sharply with nearby wooden architecture. It felt modern and vibrant and was praised as “magnificent urban beauty.”
Osaka’s brand-new heart in the 1920s, the government district on Nakanoshima. The imposing building in front is Osaka City Hall, completed in 1921 (Taisho 10). From here a modern Osaka was created.