Utsubo Park is an urban park located in Utsubohonmachi, Nishi Ward, Osaka City. Opened in 1955, it covers 9.7 hectares and stretches in a long, narrow shape—about 800 meters east to west and 150 meters north to south. The park is divided into an East Park and a West Park. The East Park features a rose garden and tennis courts, while the West Park has tennis courts as well as the Utsubo Tennis Center, which has been used for international tournaments. This area was first developed in 1622 by merchants dealing in salted fish and dried sardines (hoshika). According to one account, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi heard merchants selling fish while calling out “yasu—yasu,” he jokingly remarked that “yasu” referred to “utsubo” (also written as “yasu,” meaning a quiver/arrow case), which is said to be the origin of the place name. From the Edo period until 1931 (Showa 6), for 310 years, the area was lined with wholesalers of salted and dried fish, dried bonito, kelp, and hoshika. Hoshika refers to organic fertilizer made by drying sardines, herring, and similar fish after the oil has been extracted—an essential product for revitalizing rice paddies in the Edo period. When the Central Wholesale Market opened in Fukushima Ward in 1931, the area lost its function as a fish market. It later became a burned-out wasteland during the Pacific War and was requisitioned in 1945 as an airfield for the occupation forces. The land was returned to Osaka City in 1952 after the requisition was lifted.