On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb obliterated Hiroshima. About 40% of the estimated 350,000 inhabitants died before the year ended. This is the story of a 19-year-old nurse who miraculously survived.
A Japanese siege gun, known as an “Osaka Baby,” fires during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. War accelerated Osaka’s industrialization, driving a dramatic shift from light to heavy industry.
Interior of the Toyobo cotton mill in Osaka’s Sangenya area. Cotton mills played a crucial role in transforming Japan from a feudal into an industrialized nation. Toyobo started off this revolution.
Osaka Castle in 1929. There is no main castle tower, and the castle is surrounded by factories instead of trees. At this time, Osaka was a city of smoke.
With this soft-focused photo of a confident young Japanese woman from the 1930s we take a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Duits Collection.
When the New Osaka Hotel opened in 1935, it was one of Japan’s finest hotels. It even boasted air-conditioned guest rooms, a world’s first. This rare pamphlet from its early days offers a fascinating peek inside.