Kamagasaki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kamagasaki (釜ヶ崎?) is an old place name for a part of Nishinari-ku in Osaka, Japan. Airin-chiku (あいりん地区?) became the region's official name in May, 1966.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Sections of four different towns: Nishinari-ku Taishi (西成区太子?), Haginochaya (萩之茶屋?), Sanou (山王?), North Hanazono (花園北?) and Tengachaya (天下茶屋?) are collectively known as the Kamagasaki region.


[edit] Transport

[edit] History

Kamagasaki as a place name existed until 1922. Kamagasaki is known as Japan's largest slum, and has the largest day laborer concentration in the entire country. 30,000 people are estimated to live in every 2,000 meter radius within this region. An accurate count of occupants has never been produced, even in the national census, due to the large population of day laborers who lack permanent addresses.

The area surrounding Kamagasaki is very clean, and attracts tourists with popular sightseeing spots including the Tsutenkaku, Shinsekai, Den Den Town, and Festivalgate. However, in Kamagasaki, homeless people can often be seen sleeping in the streets throughout the day, and Doya (ドヤ?) hotels (cheap temporary homes intended for day laborers) abound in the region. These hotels have recently become popular amongst backpackers from outside of Japan due to their cheap price and close location to rail transportation.

Various non-profit organizations and religious organizations frequently give out food rations, creating long lines of people in public parks. Property values in Kamagasaki are noticeably lower than that of the surrounding areas.

Many Bōryokudan offices are located in the region, and drug and weapons trafficking is thought to be occurring on a daily basis. Illegal gambling stores are often in business in broad daylight. A seemingly endless line of illegally parked cars extends along the national highway just across from the Nishinari police station, and the police do not bother to issue tickets knowing that the fines will never be paid.


[edit] Notable Riots

The first riot occurred on August 1, 1961, when an elderly day laborer from Kamagasaki was killed in a traffic accident. The regional official that arrived on the scene assumed that the man was already dead, (only doctors are allowed to pronounce a death) and left the body on the street for over 20 minutes without bothering to call an ambulance while he spoke with witnesses. A large group of day laborers surrounded the Nishinari police station in protest of the man's treatment, and overturned parked police cars and set fire to nearby apartment buildings. The Osaka Prefectural Police responded with a force of 6,000 police officers, using police sticks and vehicles to round up the rioters. It took two days to stop the 2,000 rioters; 28 of which were arrested. Approximately 10 rioters and 100 police officers were injured.

This riot became a national issue, and was taken up in both the prefectural legislature and national legislature of Japan. Several attempts were made to mend relationships between the groups, but minor riots continued to occur. In May, 1966, it was decided that the official name of Kamagasaki would be changed to Airin-chiku (あいりん地区?) in an attempt to improve the region's crime-ridden image. The name Kamagasaki is still commonly used amongst inhabitants of the region, while the name Airin-chiku is used by the media and government officials.

The 22nd riot occurred in October, 1990, 17 years after the last riot in 1973. This riot also involved local day laborers, but grew in proportion when youths from outside the region joined in after hearing of the riot. Shin-Imamiya Station and other local stores were set on fire during this riot, and it took several days to calm the area.

The 23rd riot occurred in October, 1992, and a large-scale riot has not occurred for over 10 years. This remains the last large-scale riot to occur in Japan.


[edit] Education

Nursery School

  • Wakakusa Nursery School - 2-9-2 Haginochaya

Primary School

  • Haginochaya Primary School - 1-11-15 Haginochaya
  • Koji Primary School - 2-16-26 Hanazonokita

Junior High School

  • Imamiya Junior High School - 1-8-32 Hanazonokita

Other School

  • UNION Theology University Extension Study - 3-4-23 Haginotyaya

[edit] Events

Kamagasaki May Day May 1

Kamagasaki Summer Festival　August 13-15

Twilight Concert

Genki Festival


Osaka prefecture  This Osaka location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Languages