Hirano-ku, Osaka

The north-west side of Hirano-ku is on the southern part of the Uemachi Plateau, but the overall terrain is mostly flat.

The name Hirano probably goes back to the end of the Heian period, and was formally known as Hirano-shou in Sumiyoshi-gun (district) of the Settsu province.

The second son of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Sakanoue no Hirono, was the feudal lord in charge of the development of Hirano and was called Hirano-tono (tono being the title given to noblemen).

Another theory is that it comes from the time when many lakes and marshes were reclaimed and the fields (野) were widened (平らになった) making the kanji combination 平野.

Media related to Hirano-ku, Osaka at Wikimedia Commons