Changes

The establishment of the [[Ishiyama Honganji]] fortress-cathedral in [[1496]] on the site of the former Imperial capital presages the (re-)emergence of Osaka as a major city; the placename "Osaka" is also sometimes said to date to that time. The Honganji fell to [[siege of Ishiyama Honganji|siege]] in [[1580]], and [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] built [[Osaka Castle]] shortly afterwards, spurring the growth of the city.

The establishment of the [[Ishiyama Honganji]] fortress-cathedral in [[1496]] on the site of the former Imperial capital presages the (re-)emergence of Osaka as a major city; the placename "Osaka" is also sometimes said to date to that time. The Honganji fell to [[siege of Ishiyama Honganji|siege]] in [[1580]], and [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] built [[Osaka Castle]] shortly afterwards, spurring the growth of the city.

After the fall of the [[Toyotomi clan]] in [[Osaka Campaign|1615]], the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] took direct control of the city, not giving it to any daimyô, but appointing a ''[[machi bugyo|machi bugyô]]'' to oversee the administration of the city. The shogunate organized a number of riparian and land reclamation projects which gave the city its form; advantageous conditions caused a great number of merchants, in particular, to flood to the city, especially from nearby port-towns such as [[Fushimi]], [[Sakai]], and [[Yodo]], establishing operations in Osaka and influencing dramatically the character of the city. Osaka thus emerged as a major economic center, with a ''chônin'' population of roughly 400,000, and is often characterized as the merchants' city, in contrast to Edo, which possessed a disproportionately large samurai population, and to Kyoto, identified with the Imperial Court and [[kuge|court nobility]].

After the fall of the [[Toyotomi clan]] in [[Osaka Campaign|1615]], the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] took direct control of the city, not giving it to any daimyô, but appointing an ''[[Osaka jodai|Ôsaka jôdai]]'' (大坂城代) to oversee the administration of the city. The shogunate organized a number of riparian and land reclamation projects which gave the city its form; advantageous conditions caused a great number of merchants, in particular, to flood to the city, especially from nearby port-towns such as [[Fushimi]], [[Sakai]], and [[Yodo]], establishing operations in Osaka and influencing dramatically the character of the city. Osaka thus emerged as a major economic center, with a ''chônin'' population of roughly 400,000, and is often characterized as the merchants' city, in contrast to Edo, which possessed a disproportionately large samurai population, and to Kyoto, identified with the Imperial Court and [[kuge|court nobility]].

In addition to the bustling commercial activity already taking place in Osaka, the city also became the center of an emerging network of [[rice brokers]], which essentially represents the early modern forerunner to a modern banking system. By the 18th century, Osaka's economic power was so strong that its markets - and not those in Edo - determined the prices of rice, gold, and other commodities, and thus the value or exchange rates of coinage. Osaka's economy was the pulse of the entire country's economy, and so it was reports out of Osaka, even moreso than economic reports from Edo's commerce, that were watched closely by the shogun & his economic advisors, and by interested parties throughout society.

In addition to the bustling commercial activity already taking place in Osaka, the city also became the center of an emerging network of [[rice brokers]], which essentially represents the early modern forerunner to a modern banking system. By the 18th century, Osaka's economic power was so strong that its markets - and not those in Edo - determined the prices of rice, gold, and other commodities, and thus the value or exchange rates of coinage. Osaka's economy was the pulse of the entire country's economy, and so it was reports out of Osaka, even moreso than economic reports from Edo's commerce, that were watched closely by the shogun & his economic advisors, and by interested parties throughout society.