Amagasaki

has the Ina River to the east, the Muko River to the west, and Osake Bay to the south. The area of this industrial and commercial city in the northeast corner of Hyogo Prefecture comprises 50 km square and has approximately 550,000 inhabitants. Numerous dams protect Amagasaki, as the city lies partially under sea level. There have been human settlements at Amagasaki for 2000 years. Traces of the earliest ones can be found in the Tomo district. Already in the 3rd century AD Amagasaki was a highly developed, significant harbour town.

During the Middle Ages, it grew from an outer harbour of Kyoto to one of the leading cities of Japan. In 1617 it was declared a Principality and a Residence city. In l889, the earliest spinning mills were located here, and other factories followed.