35°35′23″N139°43′44″E / 35.58972°N 139.72889°E /35.58972; 139.72889Ōmori (大森) is a district located a few kilometres south ofShinagawa,Tokyo,Japan accessed by rail via theKeihin Tohoku line, or by road viaDai Ichi Keihin. Ōmorikaigan, the eastern area of Ōmori, can be reached via theKeikyu line.
Ōmori is one of many areas inTokyo's largest ward,Ōta-ku, but asŌmori train station is located close to the border withShinagawa-ku, some buildings bearing the name Ōmori, such as the Omori Bell Port complex, are located in Shinagawa-ku.
Prior to its development as a residential and business location, Ōmori was a fishing village along theTōkaidō Highway and famous for its farming ofnori seaweed, a staple of the Japanese diet.
There are six neighbourhoods in Ōta with the place name Ōmori: Ōmorihonchō, Ōmorihigashi, Ōmorikita, Ōmoriminami, Ōmorinaka and Ōmorinishi. All of them are located on the east side of the tracks of theTōkaidō Main Line railway.
Other neighborhoods in the vaguely defined Ōmori area include Sannō, or unofficially Ōmori-sannō, to the west of Ōmori station. It is an upscale neighbourhood compared to the other side of the tracks. The area is known for the poets, philosophers, and writers who made their homes there. The area was formerly home to theGerman International School before its relocation toYokohama.
Ōmori was award of formerTokyo City. In 1932, Ōmori-ku was formed with the territories of former municipalities of Higashi-Chōfu, Ikegami, Iriarai, Magome, and Ōmori. In 1947, Ōmori-ku merged with Kamata-ku to form the present Ōta-ku.[1]
Ōmori was the site of anImperial Japanese Army-administeredprisoner-of-war camp during World War II. The inhumane conditions in the camp were described in detail in the bookUnbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption describing the life of American Olympic AthleteLouis Zamperini. The camp was brutal, and included in its staff was known war criminalMutsuhiro Watanabe. However, US Navy submarine commanderRichard O'Kane found Omori camp harsh, but essentially correct in administration,[clarification needed] particularly compared with theŌfuna Imperial Japanese Navy detention centre. Local anti-militarist Japanese civilians sometimes helped the prisoners with small gifts of food.[2][3]
Four years after the opening of the railway through the area, Ōmori Station was opened in 1876. In the next year,Edward S. Morse discovered theŌmori Shell Mound from a train window.
In 1932, there was abank robbery at Kawasaki Daihyaku Bank Ōmori Branch, one of the first cases of bank robbery in Japan.
On August 24, 1938, amid-air collision above Ōmori showed debris on an iron works there, killing at least 53 people on the ground.[4]
Ota operates the public elementary and junior high schools in Ōmori.[5][6]
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education operatesŌmori High School andMihara High School.[7][8]
Private high schools includeOmori Gakuen High School.[9]
Media related toOmori, Tokyo at Wikimedia Commons
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