However, through the Sino-Japanese War which broke out in 1894, Osaka developed into the largest industrial and commercial city in Japan, called the 'Manchester of the East,' while Kobe had rapidly progressed to become the largest port city in the East, causing the cities to once more be the center of culture and economy in Japan (also refer to the Hanshin-kan Modernism).
しかし明治27年に勃発した日清戦争を契機に大阪は「東洋のマンチェスター」と呼ばれる日本最大の商工業都市に発展し、神戸は東洋最大の港湾都市へ飛躍するなど、再び日本における文化・経済の中心地となった（阪神間モダニズムも参照）。