Arsenal Osaka
The Osaka Arsenal ( Japanese 大阪 砲兵 工廠 Ōsaka Hōhei Kōshō , dt. "Artillery Arsenal Osaka") was a state arms factory ( arsenal ) of the Imperial Japanese Army in Osaka during the period from 1870 to 1945.
In the Meiji period , the self-sufficiency of the armed forces with modern weapons was a major concern. The Japanese military leader Ōmura Masujirō suggested building a garrison with production facilities for guns and ammunition at Osaka Castle . Osaka's central location favors land and water transport. Although Ōmura was the victim of an attack in November 1869, his proposal was nevertheless accepted.
In February 1870 an office for arms production ( 造 兵 司 , Zōheishi ) was set up and in March of that year the first employees moved into an empty rice warehouse in the northeastern part of Ōsaka Castle. This was the hour of birth of the Osaka Arsenal. Machines and workers came mainly from the Nagasaki ironworks .
In 1871 the name was changed to “ Osaka Weapon Production Office” ( 大阪 造 兵 司 , Osaka Zōheishi ), in 1872 to “Osaka Plant” ( 大砲 製造 所 , Ōsaka Seizōsho ), and in 1875 to “Artillery Office of the 2nd Artillery Military District ” ( 砲兵 第二方面 内 砲兵 支 廠 , Hōhei Daini Hōmennai Hōhei Shishō ) and finally in 1879 in "Artillery Arsenal Osaka" as the state production center for guns and grenades, while the Tokyo arsenal was a production center for small arms .
During the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, the arsenal was very active to meet the high demand. Other wars such as the First Sino -Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) increased the arsenal, so that it took over the entire eastern side of the castle grounds.
The workforce fluctuated greatly; During the crisis, many workers were hired and then fired. This led to tension with the workforce, particularly in December 1906 after the Russo-Japanese War and in October 1919 after the First World War .
During the Pacific War , the arsenal's workforce grew steadily, reaching over 60,000 employees and developing into one of the largest military factories in the German Empire. Towards the end of the war, however, the production yield fell due to a lack of material and labor. Osaka was the target of American air raids from 1945 ; the arsenal was initially only slightly damaged. However, on August 14, 1945, the day before Japan surrendered , a devastating air raid took place that destroyed 90% of the arsenal. The number of deaths on the arsenal site is relatively low with 382 deaths, as most of the workers, apart from the air defense, left the site after the air alarm. The number of deaths outside the arsenal site is unknown.
With the end of the Pacific War, the 75-year history of the Arsenal came to an end. After the war, the extensive area was partly built over with high-rise commercial buildings and partly used as a park ( Osaka Castle Park ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ National Parliamentary Library : Osaka Army Arsenal ( Memento from February 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive )