Ozaka, a city of Japan, in the S. W. part of the main island, on and near the mouth of the Yodogawa, 25 m. S. W. of Kioto; pop. in 1872, 530,885. It is one of the three fu or imperial cities, and is in a vast and highly productive plain intersected by several streams. Its front is protected by a castle and two forts garrisoned by about 7,000 men. The streets are narrow and clean, and cross at right angles, dividing the city into blocks of uniform size. The numerous canals are crossed by more than 1,000 bridges of wood and iron. The houses, mainly two stories high, are built of wood, lime, and clay. Among the public buildings are the municipal hall, an imposing structure crowned with a dome, and the imperial mint, erected in 1870 and equipped with the finest machinery and presses. There are 1,380 Buddhist temples, 538 Shinto shrines, and two native Christian churches, a government college, 72 public schools, an academy, and a girls' school with foreign teachers. Theatres and other places of amusement abound and are well patronized. In the government arsenal guns of the largest calibre are cast, and all kinds of military accoutrements are made. Since the opening of the port and the establishment of foreign warehouses in 1868, Ozaka has rapidly become of great commercial importance.

In 1872 the total number of vessels entered at the ports of Ozaka and Hiogo was 258 (including 119 from the United States), of 277,127 tons; cleared, 240, of 256,026 tons; estimated value of imports, $10,432,591; of exports, $13,590,846. The introduction of foreign machinery, largely from the United States, has been very general, and the manufactures of all kinds are extensive. Large breweries, using American hops, have been established, and produce beer rivalling the sak6 for which the place has long been famous. Telegraphs connect with the leading cities of the empire. A railway, completed in 1874, unites Ozaka with Hiogo, 20 m. W., and is to be extended to Kioto and around Lake Biwa to the W. coast.

Black Oyster Plant (Seorzonera Hispanica).

Castle of Ozaka.