A walk to feel the spirit of Osaka and its modernism

Nakanoshima is a place I’ve been visiting since I was a kid. My grandfather had a studio near the lion statues on the Naniwa Bridge, and I loved walking inside the Nakanoshima Rose Garden near Kitahama Station. When heading west on foot from the rose garden to the south side of the Nakanoshima Promenade, you can see the Osaka City Central Public Hall, and after crossing Mido-suji, the Bank of Japan Osaka Branch appears on the right as you head to the Festival Hall located on the right side of the Yotsuhashi-suji. This is a path I still take even as an adult today.

Even after becoming a narrator, I’ve returned to the region to show “Michiyuki hatsune no tabi” at the Osaka City Central Public Hall as part of the 2008 Osaka International Puppetry Festival. Attending the award ceremony for “Sakuya Konohana Award” in 2011 is another fond memory. In 2012, I also performed “Ninin Sambasou” at the Festival Hall’s stage reopening.

The streets of Nakanoshima are lined with massive modern architecture, exhibiting a stately appearance even now. On the other hand, the Neo-Renaissance-style Osaka City Central Public Hall has retained its Taisho era appearance since its renewal in 2002, but contains the latest modern stage equipment and architectural facilities. In 2014 at the Festival Hall, Sugimoto Bunraku presented a newly updated version of “Sonezaki Shinju,” which was highly enjoyable for a contemporary audience while remaining faithful to Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s original text. Channeling the breath of Osaka Modernism, Nakanoshima is always evolving. It is truly a magnificent path.