Historical persons of Osaka
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Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Closely Connected with Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the creator of what became the foundations of modern Osaka. Hideyoshi, who succeeded Oda Nobunaga upon his assassination at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto, built the vast and spectacular Osaka Castle. Construction, begun in 1583, took some three years to complete. Although national reunification under Hideyoshi lasted only 15 to 16 years, he laid the foundations of Japan's distribution economy by establishing a market in Osaka for dealing in materials from throughout the nation. The town established surrounding Osaka Castle eventually developed into Osaka, the city of commerce.
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The Yamagata Banto Prize YamagataBanto Banto Yamagata (1748 - 1821) is a world-class scholar who was born in Osaka.
More than two centuries ago, when Japan was under the feudal system of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Yamagata set forth an extraordinary theory of market economy, supported the heliocentric theory, and boldly developed his own cosmology based on belief that this universe comprises innumerable systems similar to the solar system. Denying superstition, he persisted in realistic and rational approaches.
Today, nearly two centuries after his death, his originality and rational approaches have won him high evaluation worldwide.
Born as the second son of a farmer, Banto Yamagata was adopted into a merchant family, where he developed his talent in business and revived the family business. Sendai Domain then asked him to help restore its finances, and he successfully did so.
Meanwhile, Yamagata studied Confucianism at Kaitokudo School, which was established and sustained by Osaka merchants; learned astronomy and calendar science from Goryu Asada; and developed his interest in Dutch studies (the only study of Western learning available at that time).
From the Kaitokudo School, Yamagata learned to "seek true knowledge and confirm it through experiments" and to "actively study Western medical and natural sciences," through which he tried to understand the essence of natural and cultural sciences. Although he lost his sight in his later years, Yamagata spent his last 19 years compiling his study results in "Yume-no-shiro (Instead of Dreams)," comprising twelve volumes. |