Towel manufacturer associations in Osaka Prefecture and the Shikoku region both claim to be the top producers in the country, but base their claims on different calculation methods.
With a longer history in towel production, Osaka Prefecture used to be the runaway market leader before World War II. In the late 1950s, however, Shikoku overtook Osaka, thanks to success in making cotton blankets.
But the towel gap has narrowed in recent years, with 9,381 tons produced in Shikoku and 9,209 tons in Osaka Prefecture last year. The combined volume accounted for 99 percent of domestic towel production.
The Osaka Towel Industrial Association in Izumisano in the prefecture, which has 102 member firms, cites the volume of towels brought to dye houses as its production figure.
On the other hand, the Shikoku Towel Industrial Association in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, with 132 members, calculates production by using the yield rate, which shows the percentage of cotton yarn that is actually turned into towels without being wasted. The association multiplies the amount of yarn by the yield rate to calculate towel production.
The association had set the yield rate at 84 percent until 2007 but gradually raised it to 90 percent in 2008, 94 percent in 2009 and 95 percent in 2010. It is known that humans have inhabited what is now called Osaka since more than 10,000 years ago. Around the 5th century A.D., Chinese culture was introduced to Japan via the Korean peninsula, and Osaka became the center of politics and culture of Japan.
In the 7th century, the first capital of Japan, modeled after the capital of China, was established in Osaka. Thereafter, though the capital was subsequently moved to nearby Nara and Kyoto, Osaka continued to flourish uninterruptedly, serving as the gateway of culture and trade.
Around the end of the 12th century, political power fell into the hands of the warrior class and Japan entered an age of civil strife; however, Sakai (south of present-day Osaka City) developed as a free city of the type seen in medieval Italy. Furthermore, in 1583, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who accomplished the great task of unifying the country, chose Osaka as his base and constructed the magnificent Osaka Castle, making Osaka the political and economic center of Japan.
In the 17th century, though the political center shifted to Tokyo, called Edo at the time, Osaka continued playing a vital role in managing the nation's economy and distribution of goods, and was therefore named the "Nation's Kitchen". During this period, a broad town-based culture flourished and reached maturity in Osaka. Private schools, such as Kaitokudo and Tekijuku not under the educational dictates of the government, also took root in Osaka. In this way, open-mindedness and a vigorous enterprising spirit were nurtured, forming a rich setting for a soon-to-be modern metropolis.
Then, in the 19th century, the confusion brought on by the Meiji Restoration as well as the building of a modern state dealt Osaka merchants a severe blow. However, Osaka rose from this hardship and developed into an industrial area, emerging as a modern district. Recovering again from devastation by repeated air raids during World War II, Osaka, as a commercial center of Japan, has played a major role in distribution, trade, and industry.
Osaka is now making the next leap forward to becoming an international city for the exchange of goods and information between people from all over the wo
The Osaka side argues the yield rate should be set at about 90 percent. "Using this rate, Shikoku's towel production should've been less than 9,000 tons in 2009, meaning Osaka Prefecture was the top production center," an association official said.
The Osaka association printed the phrase "Japan's largest towel production center" on a promotional poster at the end of last year.
If Osaka really is on top, it would be the association's first No. 1 billing in half a century. "[The title] will enhance our name recognition and encourage towel producers," the official said.
However, the Shikoku association still boasts on its Web site of being the nation's largest towel production center.
With a longer history in towel production, Osaka Prefecture used to be the runaway market leader before World War II. In the late 1950s, however, Shikoku overtook Osaka, thanks to success in making cotton blankets.
But the towel gap has narrowed in recent years, with 9,381 tons produced in Shikoku and 9,209 tons in Osaka Prefecture last year. The combined volume accounted for 99 percent of domestic towel production.
The Osaka Towel Industrial Association in Izumisano in the prefecture, which has 102 member firms, cites the volume of towels brought to dye houses as its production figure.
On the other hand, the Shikoku Towel Industrial Association in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, with 132 members, calculates production by using the yield rate, which shows the percentage of cotton yarn that is actually turned into towels without being wasted. The association multiplies the amount of yarn by the yield rate to calculate towel production.
The association had set the yield rate at 84 percent until 2007 but gradually raised it to 90 percent in 2008, 94 percent in 2009 and 95 percent in 2010. It is known that humans have inhabited what is now called Osaka since more than 10,000 years ago. Around the 5th century A.D., Chinese culture was introduced to Japan via the Korean peninsula, and Osaka became the center of politics and culture of Japan.
In the 7th century, the first capital of Japan, modeled after the capital of China, was established in Osaka. Thereafter, though the capital was subsequently moved to nearby Nara and Kyoto, Osaka continued to flourish uninterruptedly, serving as the gateway of culture and trade.
Around the end of the 12th century, political power fell into the hands of the warrior class and Japan entered an age of civil strife; however, Sakai (south of present-day Osaka City) developed as a free city of the type seen in medieval Italy. Furthermore, in 1583, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who accomplished the great task of unifying the country, chose Osaka as his base and constructed the magnificent Osaka Castle, making Osaka the political and economic center of Japan.
In the 17th century, though the political center shifted to Tokyo, called Edo at the time, Osaka continued playing a vital role in managing the nation's economy and distribution of goods, and was therefore named the "Nation's Kitchen". During this period, a broad town-based culture flourished and reached maturity in Osaka. Private schools, such as Kaitokudo and Tekijuku not under the educational dictates of the government, also took root in Osaka. In this way, open-mindedness and a vigorous enterprising spirit were nurtured, forming a rich setting for a soon-to-be modern metropolis.
Then, in the 19th century, the confusion brought on by the Meiji Restoration as well as the building of a modern state dealt Osaka merchants a severe blow. However, Osaka rose from this hardship and developed into an industrial area, emerging as a modern district. Recovering again from devastation by repeated air raids during World War II, Osaka, as a commercial center of Japan, has played a major role in distribution, trade, and industry.
Osaka is now making the next leap forward to becoming an international city for the exchange of goods and information between people from all over the wo
The Osaka side argues the yield rate should be set at about 90 percent. "Using this rate, Shikoku's towel production should've been less than 9,000 tons in 2009, meaning Osaka Prefecture was the top production center," an association official said.
The Osaka association printed the phrase "Japan's largest towel production center" on a promotional poster at the end of last year.
If Osaka really is on top, it would be the association's first No. 1 billing in half a century. "[The title] will enhance our name recognition and encourage towel producers," the official said.
However, the Shikoku association still boasts on its Web site of being the nation's largest towel production center.
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