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Kobe - History |
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Determined to rise from the ashes of destruction, the city's leaders and citizens made a ceaseless effort to help the city regain its former prosperity. Those efforts were rewarded in 1956, when Kobe's population once again topped the one million mark. Today, Kobe is forging ahead with vigour and gusto as the western nucleus of the Hanshin economic bloc and the eastern nucleus of the Seto Inland Sea economic bloc. |
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The
history of Kobe is as old as that of its port. As far back as the 8th
century, there was a spot called the Owada Anchorage, now known as Wadamisaki
Point. It became a key point of both land and sea trades, and had come to be
called the Port of Hyogo by the end of the 13th century. It prospered
as a port of trade with China and other countries of Asia, and it was in this
period that the foundations of the urban area were laid.
At
the turn of the 17th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate adopted a policy
of national isolation, ending nearly all contact with other nations. Despite the
edict, the port, which was endowed with favourable natural conditions, continued
to flourish and played a vital role in the growing network of domestic
transportation.
In
1868, the Port of Hyogo was once again opened to international trade, and in
1889, the City of Kobe was incorporated. In those days, Kobe had a population of
134,000, which swelled to the level of one million by 1939, making it one of the
six major cities in Japan. Over the years, the port grew in size and importance,
and industry flourished. Then came the Second World War, bringing widespread and
unprecedented devastation to Kobe. By the time the hostilities ended, the
population had dwindled to a mere 380,000.
