Associations of people form the same prefecture (kenjin-kai) are often thought of as social groups that are spontaneously established by immigrants to heal their homesickness. In fact, those associations are organized for some clear purposes related to the cities where the members of associations, recruitment of members starts. All the members are natives of the same prefecture, yet they cannot already have known each other before entering their associations, because their hometowns are various municipalities in those prefectures. This paper clarifies how the association of people from the same prefecture has relation to the context of the city, and then focuses on the establishment process and activities of the association of people from Kochi prefecture (Amagasaki Kochi Kenjin-kai) in Amagasaki city, Hyogo prefecture. Amagasaki, a well-known industrial city in Japan, absorbed many immigrants, who generally became factory workers in the high-growth period (1955-1973), including immigrants from Kochi prefecture. Many associations of people from the same prefecture were organized in this time. Amagasaki Kochi Kenjin-kai was organized by a candidate for the Amagasaki city council in 1963; he was a native of Kochi prefecture. The candidate planned this association as his political supporters' organization. Thus Amagasaki Kochi Kenjin-kai was established for a political purpose related to the city. However, he did not know where people from Kochi prefecture lived in this city. So, for example, he used the resident's cards of citizens of the city, and found 2,308 wo/men from Kochi prefecture, of whom 557 wo/men entered this association. This candidate lost the 1963 election, this association emphasized a new purpose: welfare services for people from the same prefecture, especially for young workers. In this period, because immigrant young workers' solitude in urban life was an important social problem, the new purpose of the association was timely. In 1971, not only to recruit new members but also to meet the request of Amagasaki city in its labor policy, Kochi Kenjin-kai investigated people who had a domicile of origin in Kochi prefecture, using the resident's cards of the city again; 2,264 wo/men were found out. After the high growth period ended in 1973, the number of immigrants moving in to Amagasaki city decreased. Amagasaki Kochi Kenjin-kai gradually lost the necessity to regard the city as important. The way of gathering members also changed to personal networks centered on each officer and member of the association. Also, the number of members who lived out of the city was rising. The main activity of the association became enhancing mutual friendship. Tendencies in other associations of people from the same prefecture in Amagasaki city were generally similar to those of Amagasaki Kochi Kenjin-kai.
