Editing Hiroshima (section)

===Meiji and Showa periods (1871–1939)===
After the [[Han system|Han]] was abolished in 1871, the city became the capital of [[Hiroshima Prefecture]]. Hiroshima became a major urban center during the [[Empire of Japan|imperial period]], as the Japanese economy shifted from primarily rural to urban industries. During the 1870s, one of the seven government-sponsored English language schools was established in Hiroshima.<ref>Bingham (US Legation in Tokyo) to Fish (US Department of State), September 20, 1876, in ''Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, transmitted to congress, with the annual message of the president, December 4, 1876'', p. 384</ref> Ujina Harbor was constructed through the efforts of Hiroshima Governor [[Sadaaki Senda]] in the 1880s, allowing Hiroshima to become an important port city.

The [[San'yō Railway]] was extended to Hiroshima in 1894, and a rail line from the main station to the harbor was constructed for military transportation during the [[First Sino-Japanese War]].<ref name="Kosakai"/> During that war, the [[Government of Japan|Japanese government]] moved temporarily to Hiroshima, and [[Emperor Meiji]] maintained his headquarters at [[Hiroshima Castle]] from September 15, 1894, to April 27, 1895.<ref name="Kosakai">Kosakai, ''Hiroshima Peace Reader''</ref> The significance of Hiroshima for the Japanese government can be discerned from the fact that the first round of talks between Chinese and Japanese representatives to end the Sino-Japanese War was held in Hiroshima, from February 1 to 4, 1895.<ref>Dun (US Legation in Tokyo) to Gresham, February 4, 1895, in ''Foreign relations of United States, 1894'', Appendix I, p. 97</ref> New industrial plants, including [[cotton mill]]s, were established in Hiroshima in the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Origin of Modern Capitalism and Eastern Asia |author=Jacobs, Norman |publisher=Hong Kong University |year=1958 |page=51}}</ref> Further industrialization in Hiroshima was stimulated during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] in 1904, which required development and production of military supplies. The Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall was constructed in 1915 as a center for trade and the exhibition of new products. Later, its name was changed to Hiroshima Prefectural Product Exhibition Hall, and again to Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.<ref>{{cite book |author=Sanko |title=Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) |year=1998 |publisher=The City of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation}}</ref> The building, now known as the A-Bomb Dome, part of the [[Hiroshima Peace Memorial]], a [[World Heritage Site]] since 1996, permanently remains the only structure still standing and is a state of preserved ruin.

During [[World War I]], Hiroshima became a focal point of military activity, as the Japanese government joined the Allied at war. About 500 German POWs were held in Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima Bay.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20100901131622626_en |title=Hiroshima's contribution to food culture tied to A-bomb Dome｜Opinion｜Hiroshima Peace Media Center |access-date=2010-09-03 |archive-date=2013-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025030048/http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/article.php?story=20100901131622626_en |url-status=dead}}</ref> The growth of Hiroshima as a city continued after the First World War, as the city now attracted the attention of the Catholic Church, and on May 4, 1923, an [[Apostolic Vicar]] was appointed for that city.<ref>{{Catholic-hierarchy|diocese|dhiro|Diocese of Hiroshima|January 21, 2015}}</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align: center;" caption="Gallery" heights="130px" perrow="3">
File:Mitsui Bank Hiroshima Branch 1928 - 1.jpg|Old [[Mitsui Bank]] Hiroshima Branch (1928)
File:Hiroshima map circa 1930.PNG|Map of Hiroshima City in the 1930s (Japanese edition)
File:Hiroshima University Hospital 04.jpg|Old Hiroshima Army Weapon Depot
</gallery>