Ikeda, Osaka

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This article is about the city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. There are towns in other prefectures in Japan with the same name, see Ikeda (disambiguation).

**Ikeda**
**池田市**
Ikeda's location in Osaka, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Osaka
Physical characteristics
Area	22.09 km² (8.53 sq mi)
Population (as of April 2008)
Total	104,314
Density	4,720 /km² (12,225 /sq mi)
Location	34°49′N, 135°26′E
Symbols
Tree	Camphor laurel
Flower	Satsuki azalea
Bird	Oriental Turtle Dove
Flag
Ikeda Government Office
Mayor	Kaoru Kurata
Address	〒563-8666 1-1-1, Jōnan, Ikeda-shi, Ōsaka-fu
Phone number	072-752-1111
Official website: Ikeda City

Ikeda (池田市, Ikeda-shi^?) is a city located in Osaka, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 104,314 and a density of 4,720 persons per km². The total area is 22.09 km².

In the Edo period, Ikeda had a castle occupied by a daimyo, the seat of a 50 000 goku domain. It was famous for Ikeda-zumi (Ikeda charcoal) traded by Ikeda merchants. In Cha no yu Ikeda-zumi is loved because of its high quality even today.

The city was founded formally on April 29, 1939. It was developed as an urban town by a local railway company, Hankyu Dentetsu. Its founder Kobayashi Ichizo (Itsuo) lived there also.

Ikeda boasts two cultural attractions: the Itsuo Museum and Ikeda Bunko (Ikeda Archive). Itsuo Museum holds the Itsuo Collection which is mainly Japanese art for cha-no-yu; Ikeda Bunko holds collections on Takarazuka and other materials related to Hankyu Dentetsu. There is also a municipal Zoo named Satsukiyama Zoo.

It is also home to the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum.

On June 8, 2001, the Osaka school massacre occurred in this city. A man entered an elementary school and fatally stabbed eight children in the school.　Many pupils have suffered PTSD. To avoid flashback memory of the massacre and improve school security, the school buildings were reformed and April 2004 the newly reformed building has been utilized. On September 14, 2004, Mamoru Takuma was executed for the murders.