A library built in the 37th year of the Meiji Era (1904) with the donation of the library building and book-purchase costs by Sumitomo Kichizaemon Tomoito, the 15th heir of the Sumitomo family that has conducted business in Osaka since the Edo Period. Its original name was Osaka Library, but was later renamed to Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library. In the 11th year of the Taisho Period (1922), the left and right wings were added as donations (Japan's important cultural properties). A stately building with three-layered stone walls and a rising sheet-copper-roofed dome, this library was designed by Magoichi Noguchi and Yutaka Hidaka, the architects of the Sumitomo Temporary Architectural Department. Stored in this library are ancient texts, Osaka-related documents, and business-related books. Japan's important cultural property. Due to its quiet and accessible location, many researchers and book lovers frequent this library, even though it is already approximately 100 years old.