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Sakai (堺市; -shi) is a city located in
Osaka Prefecture,
Japan. It has been one of largest and important
seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.
As of
2003, the city has an estimated
population of 792,497 and the
density of 5,793.53 persons per
km². The total area is 136.79 km².
The current city was legally founded on
April 1,
1889 according to the law of the
Imperial Japan.
History
In the
Muromachi period Sakai was one of richest cities in Japan. Sakai is
located along a coast and the mouth of Yamago-gawa river which connected
Yamato region (now Nara Prefecture) to the sea, it was therefore one of
connection between the Asian trade and the inland trade. Sakai was an
autonomous city run by merchants citizens. In those day it was said
Umi Sakai, Riku Imai (tr. "The richest city along the sea is Sakai,
inlands Imai."). The famous
zen-buddist priest
Ikkyu loved to live in Sakai because of its free atmosphere. In the
Sengoku period some
Christian priests visited Sakai and documented its prosperity. After
the coming of Europeans Sakai became a trade center of
fire arms and a daimyo
Oda Nobunaga was one of their important customers. Nobunaga was so
ambious to try unifying Japan and attempted to take the autonomy preverege
from Sakai. Sakai citizens denied his order and made an desperate war
against his army. Most of citizens flied out somewhere and Sakai was
burned and seized by Nobunaga.
Sen no Rikyu known as the great
tea master was originally a merchant of Sakai. Because of the close
relationship between
Chanoyu and Zen buddhism like Priest Ikkyu, and of the high prosperity
of citizens, Sakai was one of center for tea favorites since the early
time.
After the death of Nobunaga, one of his men,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi seized the power. Under his reign Sakai became a
prosperous city again.
In the
Edo period Sakai was still an important trade center but now only
inland trade for the sake of Tokugawa
Bakufu policy, named Sakoku. Later the end of this era Westerners
landed again to Sakai, but it resulted in a tragic accident, since
citizens and foreigners were ignorant of eachother's ways.
French troops and Sakai citizens clashed with some French were
injured, thus some Japanese who were responsible were sentenced death by
seppuku. This accident is called Sakai Case(Sakai-jiken).
In the modern Japan, Sakai is mainly a industrious city with a big
port.
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