From the Nation's Kitchen to a Modern Merchant City
人物史
During the Edo period, Osaka flourished as "the nation's kitchen" — a commercial city where the warehouses of feudal domains clustered and goods from across Japan converged, centered on the Dojima rice market. After the Meiji Restoration abolished the domain system, however, Osaka's economy fell into serious decline. It was Godai Tomoatsu, a former Satsuma domain retainer turned businessman, who rose to meet this crisis. Together with Osaka's merchants, Godai founded the Osaka Chamber of Commerce (the forerunner of today's Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry) in 1878 and served as its first chairman. He was also involved in founding the Osaka Stock Exchange, leading Osaka's economic modernization on both the financial and industrial fronts — earning him the title "father of Osaka's economy."
Characters
Godai Tomoatsu
ViewSpots
Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry
ViewJourneys
