• A0D07 – The Development of Entertainment and Culture
07-000
中央区 マスコットキャラクター ゆめまるくん
  • Disseminating new culture that reflects the times
Osaka Shochikuza opened in Dotombori in 1923 as the first Western-style theater in the Kansai region. In 1997 the theater was rebuilt and reopened, and the graceful decorative relief work that adorns the facade of the building was left as-is, making it the luxurious face of Dotombori. This theater has inherited the history and tradition of the old Dotombori theater district, and to this day still holds various types of events, including kabuki and the comedic theater performance Shochiku Shinkigeki and even operas and concerts. A wide variety of cultures have taken root and bloomed in the Minami/Dotombori area, making it a place that is beloved by people from every generation.
07-990

Upon his return from studying abroad in France, Katsutaro Inabata brought back with him equipment (cinematographs) that could be used to both record and project, and made film screenings possible. Ichizo Kobayashi, founder of the film production company Toho, was aware of this fact and left a monument in tribute to him.

地図をみる
コラムをよむ
07-010
  • A hall of fame for comedy
Namba Grand Kagetsu theater, operated by Yoshimoto Kogyo, holds comedy and comedic theater performances.
07-020
  • An entertainment culture nurtured by the town
Events that allow you to fully appreciate Osaka’s entertainment culture are held along the banks of the Dotombori River year-round. Shown in the photo is Dotombori Kawamo Butai.
07-030
  • Literary Monument of Sakunosuke Oda
Located just inside Hozenji Yokocho is an engraved literary monument of Sakunosuke Oda. Right next to it is a shop whose name became the title of one of his definitive works, Meoto Zenzai.
07-040
  • Site of the first picture show in Japan
In 1897, from February 15th to 28th, the very first picture show in Japan was shown at the Nanchi Embujo Theater (now Namba Marui).
07-050
  • Founding site of Sanyu Club
On this monument is an inscription detailing the history of Sanyu Club (now Shochiku), the first movie production company in Osaka which was hailed as “the Hollywood of the East” and the origin of Teikoku Kinema.
07-060
  • Theaters lining Dotombori in the mid-Meiji era (1868-1912)
People and rickshaws come and go in front of theaters with large banners on display. The scenery of the bustling Dotombori can still be seen today.
芸能・文化の発展
  • Literary Monument of Sakunosuke Oda Founding site of Sanyu Club Site of first picture show
  • Column

In addition to the literary monument of Sakunosuke Oda, monuments commemorating the entertainment culture of olden times are scattered about the Dotombori area.
Such monuments include ones dedicated to popular songs such as Takeo Fujishima’s “Tsuki no Hozenji Yokocho” and Yoshimi Tendo’s “Dotombori Ninjo”, a monument to haiku poet Haruichi Hirata, and also to senryu poets Tohyaku Nishida and Suifu Kishimoto. You can have some fun taking a stroll around the area to see all the different monuments.

中央区 マスコットキャラクター ゆめまるくん
中央区 マスコットキャラクター ゆめまるくん
PANEL #A0D01