Osaka's history stretches back to the fifth century, when it was known as Naniwa and its port served as a gateway to the more advanced cultures of Korea and China. For a short period, from the middle of the seventh century, the thriving city served as Japan's capital, but in the turbulent centuries that followed it lost its status, changed its name to Osaka and developed as a temple town. It was on the site of the temple Ishiyama Hongan-ji that the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi decided to build his castle in 1583 and it became a key bastion in his campaign to unite the country.

With Toyotomi's death in 1598, another period of political instability loomed in Osaka for his supporters, as rival Tokugawa Ieyasu shifted the capital to Edo. The shogun's troops besieged the castle in 1614 and destroyed it, along with the Toyotomi clan's hopes for power, a year later. With Japan firmly under their control the Tokugawa shoguns were happy to allow the castle to be rebuilt and for Osaka to continue developing as an economic and commercial centre, which it did with spectacular success. The wealth of what became known as the "kitchen of Japan" led to patronage of the arts, such as Kabuki and Bunraku, and an appreciation of fine food, still retained today.

In the twentieth century, Osaka has dragged itself up from rubble of World War II bombings to become one of the wealthiest cities in the world, its gross domestic product exceeding that of Australia. Although its hopes of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games are probably misplaced (Nagano having held the 1996 Winter Olympics), the development programme being pushed through is resulting in many new facilities, including the Universal Studios theme park on Osaka Bay