Osaka
Stored: Osaka
| Populated Place: Osaka | |
| 34.6937, 135.5022 | |
| Status (Church Vitality): | Active |
| Historic: | Yes |
| Type: | City |
| Country: | Japan |
| Subdivision: | Osaka Prefecture |
| Founded: | |
| Population: | 2745000 |
| Catholic Population: | |
| Catholic Percentage: | 0.4% |
| Official Languages: | |
| Catholicism Introduced: | |
| Catholicism Status: | |
| Parishes: | 60 |
| Notable Catholic Sites: | Cathedral of Our Lady of Tamatsukuri (Immaculate Conception Cathedral); St. Mary’s Cathedral (former pro-cathedral); Church of the Holy Family (Nakanoshima); St. Ignatius Church (Uehommachi) |
| Patron Saint: | Saint Peter Baptist |
| Website: | https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp |
Osaka (Japanese: 大阪市) is Japan’s third-largest city and the commercial heart of the Kansai region, located on the Yodo River delta where it empties into Osaka Bay. With a municipal population of approximately 2,745,000 as of 2025 estimates, it forms the seat of the Archdiocese of Osaka, the metropolitan see for western Japan.[1] Though Catholics number only about 0.4% of residents (roughly 11,000 in the city proper), Osaka’s Catholic heritage is profound: it was here that the first permanent Christian community in central Japan took root in the 1560s, and from here the 1597 Twenty-Six Martyrs were marched to their crucifixion in Nagasaki. Today its neo-Gothic cathedral and historic parishes stand as quiet witnesses amid neon-lit skyscrapers, nurturing a faith that has survived centuries of persecution and modern secularism.[2]
History
Osaka originated as Naniwa, an ancient port mentioned in the 4th-century chronicles, and grew into a major merchant center under Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the late 16th century.
Early Settlement
Jesuit missionaries arrived in 1559, invited by daimyo Wada Koremasa. By 1563, Fr. Gaspar Vilela had baptized over 1,000 in Osaka, establishing the first church at the site of today’s Tamatsukuri parish. Hideyoshi’s initial tolerance gave way to suspicion; the 1587 expulsion edict was issued from Osaka Castle, yet enforcement remained lax until 1597, when the arrest of Franciscans in Kyoto and Osaka culminated in the crucifixion of the Twenty-Six Martyrs.[3]
Catholic Evangelization
After the 1614 nationwide ban, hidden Christians preserved the faith in secret. The 1865 reopening saw French MEP priests discover surviving Kakure Kirishitan communities. The Diocese of Osaka was erected on 16 June 1888, initially covering all of western Japan, with Fr. Félix-Nicolas Midon MEP as first bishop. The first Tamatsukuri cathedral (1894) was destroyed in WWII air raids; the present Immaculate Conception Cathedral rose in 1963.[4]
Modern Faith Life
Elevated to archdiocese in 1969, Osaka now serves 45,587 Catholics through 60 parishes (2024 figures), with 138 priests and strong lay involvement in Caritas and catechesis.<ref name="
- ↑ "Population of Osaka City (2025)". Osaka City Government. https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/toshikeikaku/page/0000000001.html.
- ↑ "Archdiocese of Osaka". GCatholic.org. http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/osak0.htm.
- ↑ "Address of John Paul II to the Japanese Bishops (1981)". Vatican.va. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1981/february/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19810224_giappone-martiri.html.
- ↑ "Archdiocese of Osaka – History & Statistics". GCatholic.org. http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/osak0.htm.