Was it a dark and stormy night when the first telegraph line sparked to life here? Not quite, but the story of the \u5927\u962a\u96fb\u4fe1\u767a\u7965\u306e\u5730 Stele is just as electrifying.
This stele marks a pivotal spot. It is the birthplace of telecommunications in Osaka. Here in 1867, the Kawaguchi Customs Office, a precursor to the Osaka Customs, was established. It handled foreign affairs and customs duties.
Then in 1870, within the Kawaguchi transport office, the Kawaguchi Telegraph Office opened. A telegraph line was installed to Kobe. This was Japan’s first telegraph line and marked Osaka as the origin of telecommunications. The \u5927\u962a\u96fb\u4fe1\u767a\u7965\u306e\u5730 Stele commemorates this beginning.
Imagine a time before smartphones and the internet. The telegraph was revolutionary. It used electrical signals to transmit messages over long distances. It was the Victorian internet.
The first message sent along that line from the Kawaguchi Telegraph Office to Kobe is lost to history. One can imagine that it was a mundane administrative message. Or perhaps it was an urgent report of international trade.
Initially, the term “telegraph” was written as “Denshin”. The Kawaguchi Telegraph Office was known as the “Kawaguchi Denshin Office.” From here, the telegraph network expanded nationwide. Within ten years of the Meiji Restoration, a telegraph network spanned the length of Japan.
The \u5927\u962a\u96fb\u4fe1\u767a\u7965\u306e\u5730 Stele stands near the Osaka Customs’ Fukushima branch. The stele was originally located in the warehouse of the Osaka Customs. It was later moved slightly towards the An治 River.
The Osaka Customs Fukushima branch was closed in 2008. The stele was moved again. It now stands with a customs monument on the embankment.
The inscription on the \u5927\u962a\u96fb\u4fe1\u767a\u7965\u306e\u5730 Stele reads “Birthplace of Osaka Telecommunications, Site of Kawaguchi Telegraph Office.” It also states that the Kawaguchi transport office was established here in 1867. This makes it the birthplace of Osaka telecommunications.
Consider how much telecommunications has evolved. From simple telegraph lines to smartphones. It all started here. The \u5927\u962a\u96fb\u4fe1\u767a\u7965\u306e\u5730 Stele is a reminder of how far we’ve come.
So as you stand before the \u5927\u962a\u96fb\u4fe1\u767a\u7965\u306e\u5730 Stele. Remember that you are standing at the genesis of modern communication in Osaka. A place where the first sparks of the information age flew. From this point onward, the world has never been the same.