How has Umeda’s streetscape changed in the 20 years since the Hankyu Hanshin integration? The Kitamuki Jizō statue, which dates back to the Meiji era, is enshrined around Umeda Station and remains part of the area today as it has developed. The article portrays the revival of Umeda’s local community and commercial district.
As you head to the third-floor platform at Hankyu Umeda Station, the fragrance of incense occasionally drifts through the air, and the 73-centimetre-high Kitamuki Jizō statue enshrined in a corner on the first floor is visible. Against the backdrop of the district’s history of developing as a Hankyu Railway hub alongside the tradition surrounding the Jizō statue, which began in the Meiji era, Umeda is undergoing streetscape redevelopment.
The article presents the area’s history centred on the Umeda Jizō statue and current urban development efforts against the milestone of 20 years since the Hankyu Hanshin integration. Umeda is a major transport hub where multiple stations are concentrated, and the relocation of commercial, office and residential facilities is changing the area’s appearance and convenience.
The Jizō statue is positioned as a traditional place of worship dating back to the Meiji era and remains part of the local community as a symbol of Umeda’s development. The simultaneous progress of redevelopment and preservation of tradition is portrayed as the new vision for the Hankyu Umeda area’s streetscape.