Ikeda, Osaka

Ikeda, Osaka

Ikeda (池田市, Ikeda-shi) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 104,704 and a population density of 4,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.09 km².

In the Edo period, Ikeda had a castle occupied by a daimyo, the seat of a 50,000 goku domain. It was famous for Ikeda-zumi (Ikeda charcoal) traded by Ikeda merchants. In Cha no yu Ikeda-zumi is loved because of its high quality even today.

The city was founded formally on April 29, 1939. It was developed as an urban town by a local railway company, Hankyu Dentetsu. Its founder Kobayashi Ichizo (Itsuo) lived there also.

Ikeda boasts two cultural attractions: the Itsuō Art Museum and Ikeda Bunko (Ikeda Archive). Itsuo Art Museum holds the Itsuo Collection which is mainly Japanese art for cha-no-yu; Ikeda Bunko holds collections on Takarazuka and other materials related to Hankyu Dentetsu. There is also a municipal Zoo named Satsukiyama Zoo.

It is also home to the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum.

On June 8, 2001, the Osaka school massacre occurred in this city. A man entered an elementary school and fatally stabbed eight children in the school. Many pupils have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. To avoid flashback memories of the massacre and to improve school security, the school buildings were remodeled and subsequently occupied in April 2004. On September 14, 2004, Mamoru Takuma was executed for the murders.