Kobe (神戸市, Kōbe-shi?) is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital
city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū,
approximately 500 km (310.69 mi) west of Tokyo. Kobe is a prominent port
city with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the
Kansai region of Japan and is part of the Keihanshin (京阪神, Keihanshin?)
metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto. Keihanshin in turn is part of
the Taiheiyō Belt, a megalopolis. Kobe is classified as one of Japan's
seventeen designated cities.
Known by the name Ōwada Anchorage (大輪田泊), the earliest written records
regarding the region come from the Nihon Shoki, which describes the founding
of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in 201 AD For most of its history the
area was never a single political entity, even during the Tokugawa Period,
when the port was controlled directly by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kobe did
not exist in its current form until its founding in 1889. Its name comes
from "kanbe" (神戸?), an archaic title for supporters of the city's Ikuta
Shrine. Kobe became one of Japan's designated cities in 1956.
Kobe was one of the cities to open for trade with the West following the end
of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan port
city. While the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake diminished much of Kobe's
prominence as a port city, it remains Japan's fourth busiest container port.
Companies headquartered in Kobe include ASICS, Kawasaki Heavy Industries,
and Kobe Steel, as well as over 100 international corporations with Asia or
Japan headquarters in the city such as Procter & Gamble,
Boehringer-Ingelheim and Nestlé. The city is the point of origin and
namesake of Kobe beef as well as the site of one of Japan's most famous hot
spring resorts, Arima Onsen.
History
Origins to the Meiji Era
Tools found in western Kobe demonstrate that the area was populated at least
from the Jōmon period. The natural geography of the area, particularly of
Wada Cape in Hyōgo-ku, led to the development of a port, which would remain
the economic center of the city. Some of the earliest written documents
mentioning the region include the Nihon Shoki, which describes the founding
of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in 201 A.D.
During the Nara and Heian periods, the port was known by the name Ōwada
Anchorage (大輪田泊) and was one of the ports from which imperial embassies to
China were dispatched. The city was briefly the capital of Japan in 1180
when Taira no Kiyomori moved his grandson Emperor Antoku to Fukuhara in
present-day Hyōgo-ku. The Emperor returned to Kyoto after about five months.
Shortly thereafter in 1184, the Taira fortress in Hyōgo-ku and the nearby
Ikuta Shrine became the sites of the Genpei War battle of Ichi-no-Tani
between the Taira and Minamoto clans. The Minamoto prevailed, pushing the
Taira further.
As the port grew during the Kamakura period, it became an important hub for
trade with China and other countries. In the 13th century, the city came to
be known by the name Hyōgo Port (兵庫津). During this time, Hyōgo Port along
with northern Osaka composed the province of Settsu. Later, during the Edo
period, the eastern parts of present-day Kobe came under the jurisdiction of
the Amagasaki Domain and the western parts under that of the Akashi Domain,
while the center was controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate. It was
not until the abolition of the han system in 1871 and the establishment of
the current prefecture system that the area became politically distinct.
Hyōgo Port was opened to foreign trade by the government of the Bakufu at
the same time as Osaka on 1 January 1868, just before the advent of the
Boshin war and the Meiji restoration. The region has since been identified
with the West, and many foreign residences from the period remain in Kobe's
Kitano area.
Modern era
Kobe, as it is known today, was founded on April 1, 1889, and was designated
on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance. The history of the city is
closely tied to that of the Ikuta Shrine, and the name "Kobe" derives from
kanbe" (神戸), an archaic name for those who supported the shrine.
Geography
Wedged in between the coast and the mountains, the city of Kobe is long and
narrow. To the east is the city of Ashiya, while the city of Akashi lies to
its west. Other adjacent cities include Takarazuka and Nishinomiya to the
east and Sanda and Miki to the north.
The landmark of the port area is the red steel Port Tower. A giant ferris
wheel sits in nearby Harborland, a notable tourist promenade. Two artificial
islands, Port Island and Rokkō Island, have been constructed to give the
city room to expand.
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