is a tower and landmark of

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan, and advertises the

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

company. It is located in the

Shinsekai is an old neighbourhood located next to south Osaka City's downtown "Minami" area. The neighbourhood was created in 1912 with New York (specifically, Coney Island) as a model for its southern half and Paris for its northern half. At this locatio ...

district of Naniwa-ku, Osaka. Its total height is ; the main observation deck is at a height of . It is owned by

History

Original Tsutenkaku and Shinsekai Luna Park

The current tower is the second to occupy the site. The original tower, patterned after the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

and the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

, was built in 1912, and was connected to the adjacent amusement park, Luna Park, by an aerial cable car. At the time of its construction, its height of made it the second tallest structure in Asia. It quickly became one of the most popular locations in the city, drawing visitors from all over the area. The original structure was severely damaged by a fire in 1943, and rather than being repaired, it was disassembled and the steel used for the war effort. After World War II, citizens lobbied to rebuild the tower. A private company, the Tsūtenkaku Kanko Co. Ltd., was established, and

Tachū Naitō was a Japanese architect, engineer, and professor. He was a father of earthquake-proof design and built many broadcasting and observation towers, including the Tokyo Tower. Biography Naitō was born on 12 June 1886, in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi ...

, Japan's "Father of Towers" was selected to design it. The new, eight-sided structure was opened in 1956. On the fifth floor observation deck is enshrined

Billiken The Billiken is a doll, charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Florence Pretz of Kansas City, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. It is believed that Pretz found the name Billiken in Bliss ...

, the God of Happiness or "things as they ought to be". Billiken, a popular American charm doll that came to Japan in about 1910, was enshrined within Luna Park when it opened. When the park closed in 1923, the wooden statue of Billiken went missing. As a part of an effort to revive the tower, a copy of Billiken was made from an old photograph and placed inside the tower in 1979. The statue of Billiken became closely associated with the tower and is a popular symbol of good luck. Each year, thousands of visitors place a coin in his donation box and rub the soles of his feet to make their wishes come true. The tower is also known for its neon lights, which change every few years (they were shut off during the oil crisis of 1974–76). The neon lights have now been replaced by LED lighting, showing a different color set for every two months (e.g. pink for

cherry blossom The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

in March/April).

has sponsored the tower since 1957, and the light designs usually spell out Hitachi advertisements, although one side of the tower is usually occupied by a public service announcement. The lights on top of the tower are a

weather beacon A weather beacon is a beacon that indicates the local weather forecast in a code of colored or flashing lights. Often, a short poem or jingle accompanies the code to make it easier to remember. The beacon is usually on the roof of a tall build ...

indicating the next day's weather forecast by a combination of different colors. File:Original Tsutenkaku after 1943 fire.jpg, Fire damage to the original Tsūtenkaku tower in 1943 File:Original Tsutenkaku during demolition.jpg, Demolition of the first Tsūtenkaku tower

Access

* JR West, Osaka Loop Line and Yamatoji Line, Shin-Imamiya Station, East Exit (10-minute walk) * Nankai Railway, Nankai Main Line and Koya Line, Shin-Imamiya Station, East Exit (10-minute walk) * Osaka Municipal Subway Sakaisuji Line (brown line), Ebisuchō Station, Exit 3 (3-minute walk) * Osaka Municipal Subway Midosuji Line (red line), Dobutsuen-mae Station, Exit 5 (10-minute walk) * Hankai Tramway, Hankai Line, Ebisucho Station (3-minute walk)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tsutenkaku Buildings and structures in Osaka Hitachi Observation towers in Japan Towers completed in 1912 Tourist attractions in Osaka 1912 establishments in Japan Naniwa-ku, Osaka