[Primitive Age]
From rice-farming villages and excavated remains of villages in the city, it is known that people had already lived in Nishinomiya in the Yayoi era (from about 500 B.C. to about 300 A.D.) and carried out farming and fishing.
[Ancient Times]
Kofun or graves of powerful clans built in the Kofun era (from about the middle of the 3rd century to the 7th century) can be found in the city. In the “Nihon Shoki” (The Chronicles of Japan) and “Manyoshu” (A Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) edited in the Nara era (710~784) the names of Hirota Shrine and Muko-no-tsu appear. Muko-no-tsu, located around present day Tsuto, was a major port of the Yamato state. Kochi-jinja shrine, Kanno-ji and Jurin-ji temples were built in the Heian era (794~1185), and a shrine town developed around Ebisu-sha (Ebisu shrine) which originated as a branch shrine of Hirota Shrine.
[Middle Ages]
When new Buddhism spread in the Kamakura era (1185~1333), many temples were built in Nishinomiya. They included Jokyo-ji temple of the Jodoshu sect, Gyoko-ji temple of the Jodoshinshu sect, and in the period from the end of the Kamakura age through the Muromachi era (1336~1573) Rokutan-ji, Kaisei-ji and Mosho-ji temples of Zen sects. Around Nishinomiya-jinja shrine a town was created, and through kugutsushi (puppetry) which was the forerunner of ningyo joruri (puppet theatre), devotion to the god Ebisu spread throughout Japan.
[Modern Age]
During the Edo era (1603~1867) Nishinomiya and Namaze prospered as lodging towns. The sake industry which had begun in the Muromachi era developed further, and the tasty Nishinomiya sake which was prized in Edo (former Tokyo) was shipped in barrel-carrying ships to Edo from Nishinomiya and Imazu ports. At the end of the Edo era ‘miya-mizu’ water was discovered and sake brewing developed even further. Farming and fishing also prospered. In the 18th century, the city had grown to have a population approaching 10,000 and came under direct control of the Bakufu (the Shougunate government). In the northern area of Najo and Yamaguchi, papermaking and bamboo craftwork flourished.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck Nishinomiya at 5:46 a.m. on January 17, 1995.  It devastated our city all at once, claiming many precious lives and damaging property.  From that day onward, enormous efforts were made for emergency relief, recovery and reconstruction.
As we move forward, we need to be reminded of what the disaster has brought to us.  We are responsible to provide our findings to other organizations and to the younger generation. 

Detail of the Earthquake

• Date:　 5:46 a.m., January 17, 1995
• Force：　7.3 on the Richter scale　
  　　　　　　Shindo 7 on a seismic intensity scale used in Japan indicating it was a violent earthquake
• Epicenter:North of Awaji Island（Longitude: 135º02’E、Latitude: 34 º36’N）　
• Depth： 16 kilometers below the earth’s surface

Damage in Nishinomiya

• Number of citizens killed：　1,146 including citizens died of reasons triggered by the quake and died outside the city
• Number of houses destroyed：　Completely damaged 34,136 households / Partially destroyed   27,102 households
• Evacuation areas：　A maximum of 194 sites were used as a shelter on January 20, 1995
• Number of people seeking shelters：　A maximum of 44,351 on January 19, 1995
• Number of fires following earthquake：　41 incidents
  
  

The Nishinomiya City Assembly consists of forty-five assembly members elected by the citizens.  They meet regularly four times a year in June, September, December and March.  In order to reflect the citizens’ opinions in civic affairs, legislators debate and determine such issues as budgets and ordinances and aim to achieve a better municipal administration and improve the welfare of the citizens.  Extraordinary sessions are held on an as-needed basis.
A steering committee is set up to operate each session more efficiently.  Four standing committees examine proposed bills in detail from expert viewpoints.  There are General Affairs Committee, Citizens’ Affairs, Culture and Education Committee, Welfare Committee, and Construction Committee.  When necessary, special committees are established to research specific issues.

[Agriculture]
Approximately 70% of Nishinomiya’s farmland is located within the urban district and is typical city farming. In the northern area, agriculture focuses on rice farming, while in the southern area which is near Osaka and Kobe which are large consumer cities, vegetable farming is carried out in all seasons.
With the growth of urbanization and the reduction of farmland, the city’s agriculture faces a critical situation. The protection of farmland and securing successors for farming are also serious problems.

[Sake Brewing]
The southern region of Hyogo Prefecture is referred to as Nada, and is an area where sake brewing thrives. Areas where there is a group of sake brewers are called ‘Go’ and in Nada there are 5 ‘Go’ called ‘Nada Go Go’. Among these are the ‘Nishinomiya Go’ and ‘Imazu Go’ which are in Nishinomiya. Literary reference to Nishinomiya sake brewing appeared in 15th century. In the 17th century, sake brewing began as an industry, and in the 19th century, ‘miya-mizu’ was discovered. ‘Miya-mizu’ is water that comes from underground water streams that flow from the Rokko mountain range and spring up on south side of Nishinomiya-jinja shrine. The word ‘miya-mizu’ is a combination of ‘miya’ meaning shrine, and ‘mizu’ meaning water. This pure, cold water helped the sake industry develop as large it has.

[Najio Washi - Najio Japanese paper]
There was literary reference in the 17th century to the Najio district in the northern part of the city as being the home of ‘washi’ (Japanese paper). At present, there are few people left to pass on the washi-making tradition. However, a washi learning hall has been built next to a local primary school where children and others can learn how to make washi and pass on the washi-making tradition.

Shaoxing