Mr. Osawa began his career as a curator at the Osaka Municipal Museum, the predecessor of the Osaka Museum of History. The Osaka Municipal Museum was housed in a modern building (now a commercial facility called “Miraiza Osaka Castle”) right in front of the Osaka Castle keep, but it was closed in 2001 and renamed the Osaka Museum of History in the same year to make a fresh start at its current location.
“At that time, I was still quite young, so I had to take on various responsibilities. I think there are still five or six people working at the museum today. I also took part in discussions on how the permanent exhibition should be built. There were many candidates for where to move from the front of Osaka Castle, but in the end, we decided on this location because it was the best. A good location is not so much about access as it is about being in a place where we can see all of Osaka’s history at once. It is located between the ruins of Naniwanomiya Palace, which tells the story of Osaka’s ancient history, and Osaka Castle, which tells the history of the city from the early modern period, so we can walk back and forth between the two places that span about 800 years in historical time.”
Naniwanomiya was a palace that existed here about 1,350 years ago. At the entrance of the Osaka Museum of History on the first floor, there is a space where visitors can look through a glass floor at the actual ruins found there, which clearly shows that the museum is built right on top of the former Naniwanomiya Palace.
“It is rather common throughout Japan for a museum to be built in conjunction with an archaeological site. However, it is very rare for a museum to be built in the middle of the city center. Most of them are in the suburbs or in the countryside. In order to secure the site area in this central urban location, the museum was built in a 13-story building, which is also very rare. It is very difficult to move materials around when they are stacked vertically. However, the result was very good, as the upper floors offer a panoramic view of the expanse of the Osaka Plain. In both the Naniwanomiya and Nanoniwa buildings, you can get a sense of the expanse of space by combining the eye-level view with a visit to the museum,” he said.”
The period between the Naniwanomiya Palace site and Osaka Castle is approximately 800 years. However, Director Osawa specializes in the study of medieval cities in the period between the two.
“The medieval period is introduced on the 9th floor of the permanent exhibition, but most of the 9th floor is devoted to the Edo period. The medieval period is treated as an afterthought. Well, with the construction of Osaka Castle and the city of Osaka during the Edo period, which was called the ‘kitchen of the nation,’ it is inevitable that the focus of attention should be on that period, but the city of Osaka did not prosper in a flash from the time of the Naniwanomiya Palace. We thought a lot about how we could attract people’s interest in the medieval period introduced the well-known Oda Nobunaga to the exhibition room, and then introduced Osaka Honganji Temple. The Osaka Honganji Temple is very important in the history of Osaka,” he said.
Osaka Honganji was based at the site of present-day Osaka Castle from the end of the 15th century but was destroyed by fire after an 11-year conflict with Oda Nobunaga. Today, only a small monument stands at Osaka Castle.
“In today’s Osaka, the Osaka Honganji Temple is completely forgotten, but by the middle of the 17th century, even among people living in Osaka, the location of the Osaka Honganji Temple was quite unknown. That is how strong the impact of Osaka Castle was in later times.”
As to why the Osaka Honganji Temple is so important to Osaka’s history, let’s listen to the explanation of Mr. Osawa, who specializes in medieval times.
“There are records that during the Warring States period, there were Honganji temples in Hokkaido and Kyushu, and their followers traveled to Osaka, the temple’s head temple. Although the transportation conditions of the time did not allow anyone to come to Osaka, it was still possible for people living far away from the temple to know information about Hongan-ji, in other words, to know about Osaka. This is something that warlords could not do. A warlord has power within the territory he rules, but his power does not extend beyond that territory unless he expands his territory. However, faith spreads through spiritual connections, and the existence of Osaka became known throughout the country through the Osaka Honganji Temple.”
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On the ninth floor, the city of Osaka during the Edo period, when it was known as the “kitchen of the nation,” is reproduced, and in front of it, visitors can see a model of a medieval town and a reconstruction of the Osaka Honganji Temple. -
The reconstructed model of the Mikado Hall of the Osaka Honganji Temple recreates the 300th anniversary memorial service for Shinran held in March 1561. It is not just an architectural model! -
The seventh floor is the Modern and Contemporary floor, which features life-size reproductions of Dotonbori and the public market of the Osaka period (Taisho to early Showa periods). -
The museum stands on the site of the former Naniwanomiya Palace. Strictly speaking, the museum is built on the site of the government office of the early Naniwanomiya Palace, the Dairi Seiho Kanga, or the government office with a row of warehouses to the west of the ceremonial hall.
No matter what I asked, Director Osawa answered quickly. It is a bit of a big question, but I finally asked him about the charms of Osaka’s history. What is unique about Osaka’s history, given the proximity of Kyoto and Nara, two of Japan’s most historical cities?
“Compared to Nara and Kyoto, most visitors to Osaka are probably looking for something more modern. However, I think Osaka’s roots are in its long history, and the fact that it has been handed down from generation to generation to the present day is a good thing. For example, I commute here every day from Tanimachi 4-chome station, and if you look toward Osaka Castle in front of the museum, you will see the buildings of OBP (Osaka Business Park) standing in a row against the background of the castle. Many people in Osaka are probably used to seeing this, but it is a very special sight. It is not only historical or modern, but both coexist as a matter of course in Osaka. I think this is only possible in Osaka, which has a wide tolerance for both modern life and history,” he said.
Naniwanomiya & I
“It is our mission to promote the charm of Naniwanomiya Palace, but there is no mention of Naniwanomiya Palace in current elementary school social studies textbooks. However, everyone knows about the Taika Reformation, a major institutional reform. Naniwanomiya was the place where it was proclaimed. And one of the main features of Naniwanomiya was its proximity to the sea. Today, Osaka Bay is far to the west, but in ancient times, the bay extended into this area. The fact that the capital was built overlooking the sea indicates that politics of the time was beginning to look out to sea, rather than domestically. That is, relations with the Korean Peninsula and China. How to communicate such things…My personal opinion is that it is the people. It is important how people explain things to each other and how to create a place for communication. When I was younger, I used to stand on the floor and guide visitors through the exhibitions, and I think that was a very enjoyable experience. I hope we can do something else in cooperation with [nanoniwa],” he said.
Osaka Museum of History
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Address4-1-32, Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka
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TEL06-6946-5728
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