Flag of Osaka
Officially Osaka Prefecture
Locally Ōsaka-fu · 大阪府
What the flag looks like
A white emblem on a blue field: four small rings joined to a central knot, like a gourd on a vine.
What it means
The O for Osaka is drawn from the gourd standard of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who built Osaka Castle; the branching O's stand for hope, prosperity and harmony.
How to remember it
Osaka's
white emblem on blue is four O's on a vine: O for Osaka, and a nod to Hideyoshi's gourd banner.
Fun facts
- Osaka is the second-smallest prefecture by area but the third most populous.
- The flag was green until 1984, when it turned blue.
Osaka at a glance
- Type
- Urban prefecture (fu)
- Island
- Honshū
- Capital
- Ōsaka
- Region
- Kansai
- Population
- 8.8 million
- Area
- 1,905 km²
- Languages
- Japanese
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥)
- Flag adopted
- 1968