Sakai (堺市,Sakai-shi;Japanese pronunciation:[saꜜ.kai,sa.kaꜜi.ɕi][2]) is a city located inOsaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most importantseaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for itskofun, keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. Thekofun in Sakai include the largest grave in the world by area,Daisen Kofun. Once known forswords, Sakai is now famous for the quality of itscutlery. As of 1 January 2022[update], the city had an estimated population of 819,965,[3] making it the fourteenth most populous city in Japan (excluding Tokyo).
Sakai has aHumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sakai is 16.5 °C (61.7 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,232.9 mm (48.54 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.6 °C (83.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.6 °C (42.1 °F).[4]
Climate data for Sakai (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)
The area that would later become known as Sakai has been inhabited since approximately 8,000 BC.[7] Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, orkofun, which date from the 5th century. The largest of these, Daisen Kofun, is believed to be the grave of theEmperor Nintoku and is the largest grave in the world by area. During theKofun period between 300 and 500 AD, theMozu Tumulus Cluster was built from over one hundred burial mounds.[7] The name "Sakai" appears in Fujiwara Sadoyori's poetry by 1045.[8] Most of the current city is located within ancientIzumi Province; however, the wards of Mihara, Higashi and a portion of Kita are located within ancientKawachi Province.
Tradition holds that 10,000 homes burned to the ground in 1399.[8]
Medieval Sakai was an autonomous city run by merchant oligarchs. During theMuromachi andSengoku periods from about 1450 to 1600, Sakai developed into one of richest cities in Japan as a port for foreign trade. It was a leading producer of textiles and ironwork.[9] In those days, it was said that the richest cities wereUmi no Sakai, Riku no Imai (tr. "along the sea, Sakai; inlands, Imai"; the latter is now a part ofKashihara, Nara). The famousZen Buddhist priestIkkyū chose to live in Sakai because of its free atmosphere. The first reliable account of the city is dated to the 1480s and contains publicly issued legal notices, which suggests that the city had a governing council at that point. By the 1530s, the population was around 40,000 residents, almost all of which earned a living through commercial enterprises and some of whom were the wealthiest people in Japan. At this time, Sakai was administered by an oligarchy of powerful merchants. The government had ten divisionsmachi that were subordinate to the representative council of wealthy townsmen known as theegōshū.[9][10]
Sen no Rikyū, known as the greatest master of thetea ceremony, was originally a merchant of Sakai. Because of the close relationship between the tea ceremony andZen Buddhism and because of the prosperity of its citizens, Sakai was one of the main centers of thetea ceremony in Japan.
In the Sengoku period, Christian missionaries, includingFrancis Xavier in 1550, visited Sakai and documented its prosperity.Gaspar Vilela described the town as the safest place in the area when he visited in 1561.[11]He also mentioned that the city was "governed by consuls like Venice in Italy".[9][12]
After the coming of Europeans, Sakai became a manufacturing base ofmatchlock firearms and adaimyō,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's citizens denied his order and pitched a desperate battle against his army. Most citizens fled and Sakai was burned and seized by Nobunaga.
After the assassination of Nobunaga in 1582,Toyotomi Hideyoshi, seized power and abolished the autonomous system of Sakai, forcing many merchants to move to his stronghold in Osaka.[13]
Sakai was restored as an important trade center during theEdo period but was involved only in inland trade due to thesakoku policy of theTokugawa shogunate, which isolated Japan from the outside world. It was also known for itssake brewing and its cutlery industries. After the isolation policy was abandoned during theBakumatsu period, Sakai was the location of theSakai Incident, involving a clash between French sailors and Japanese gendarmes resulting in multiple casualties. When the Western powers demanded the opening of Osaka a port for foreign trade, both Sakai andHyōgo were named as candidates; however, Sakai's proximity and ease of access toKyoto and the presence of many imperial tombs led to the selection of Hyōgo.
Following theMeiji restoration, Sakai was transformed into an industrial center as part of theHanshin Industrial Region, with industries centering on textiles and brick making. From 1876 to 1881, Sakai was part ofNara Prefecture. The city of Sakai was proclaimed on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was one of the first 31 cities to be created in Japan. The1934 Muroto typhoon killed over 300 people in Sakai. Another major disaster was in 1945, when the city was heavily bombed on six occasions duringWorld War II with over 1800 civilian deaths.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town ofMihara (fromMinamikawachi District), Sakai became adesignated city in April 2006[14] giving it a greater measure ofself-determination in governmental affairs.
Sakai was traditionally dependent on heavy industry and its port. However, after a period of high economic growth after World War II, along with the development and expansion of the Osaka metropolitan area, Sakai also has increasingly become a satellite city (commuter town) for Osaka metropolis, as represented by the development of Senboku New Town.Shimano, a major manufacturer of cycling and fishing products, is based in Sakai.
Sakai has 98 public elementary schools and 43 public middle schools operated by the city government. The city also has one private elementary school, three private combined middle/high schools and one private combined elementary/middle/high school. The city has 23 public high schools operated by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education, and four private high schools. The city operates two and the prefecture operates four special education schools for the disabled.
^ウリハッキョ一覧.Chongryon. November 6, 2005. Archived from the original on November 6, 2005. RetrievedOctober 15, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)().
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