Osaka Castle

大阪城おおさかじょうŌsaka-jō

Hideyoshi's fortress and the stone walls of the Tokugawa

Osaka Castle, begun by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583, was the seat of the power that reunified Japan and fell to the Tokugawa in 1615. The present stone walls and moats date from the Tokugawa rebuilding of 1620–1629, and its main keep, reconstructed in 1931, is a museum and the landmark of Osaka.

Founded: 1583; rebuilt 1620–1629; keep reconstructed 1931Special Historic Site · Former Osaka Castle grounds · 1955Important Cultural Property · 13 Edo-period structures, including the Ōte-mon gate, Sengan-yagura and Inui-yagura turrets

Overview

Osaka Castle stands on the northern tip of the Uemachi plateau in central Osaka, surrounded by Osaka Castle Park, one of the largest green spaces in the city. The site was that of the fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji, headquarters of the True Pure Land sect, until it surrendered to Oda Nobunaga in 1580.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi began his castle here in 1583 as the centre of his rule over a reunified Japan; its black-and-gold keep was the most splendid of its age. After Tokugawa Ieyasu destroyed the Toyotomi in the sieges of 1614–1615, the shogunate buried the old castle and built a new one on top of it from 1620, with the enormous stone walls and wide moats that survive today, among them some of the largest single stones used in any Japanese castle.

The Tokugawa keep burned after a lightning strike in 1665, and most remaining buildings were lost in the fighting of 1868. The present main keep was rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1931, financed by donations from Osaka's citizens, and houses a museum on Hideyoshi and the castle's history. Thirteen Edo-period structures, including gates, turrets and storehouses, survive and are Important Cultural Properties.

Highlights

Main keep
天守閣Tenshukaku
Eight-storey reconstruction of 1931 modelled on Hideyoshi's keep, with a museum and an observation deck on the top floor.
Octopus Stone
蛸石Tako-ishi
The largest stone in the castle walls, at the Sakura-mon gate, estimated at around 130 tonnes.
Ōte-mon gate
大手門Ōte-mon
The main gate of the Tokugawa castle, an Important Cultural Property.
Sengan-yagura turret
千貫櫓Sengan-yagura
Corner turret guarding the main gate, among the oldest surviving buildings of the castle (1620).
Nishinomaru Garden
西の丸庭園Nishinomaru Teien
Lawned garden in the western bailey with several hundred cherry trees and a view of the keep.
Moats and stone walls
石垣Ishigaki
Tokugawa walls up to about 30 m high above the inner moat, built by feudal lords who carved their family marks into the stones.

History

The castle's history mirrors the unification of Japan. Hideyoshi's castle symbolised his supremacy; its fall in the Summer Siege of 1615 ended the Toyotomi line and secured the Tokugawa peace. The shogunate's rebuilt castle served as its main base in western Japan throughout the Edo period. In the Meiji era the grounds became an army arsenal and headquarters, heavily bombed in 1945; the park was opened to the public after the war.

1580
Ishiyama Hongan-ji on the site surrenders to Oda Nobunaga.
1583
Toyotomi Hideyoshi begins building Osaka Castle.
1614–1615
Tokugawa Ieyasu besieges the castle in the Winter and Summer Sieges; the Toyotomi are destroyed.
1620–1629
The Tokugawa shogunate rebuilds the castle with new stone walls and a new keep.
1665
Lightning destroys the Tokugawa keep.
1868
Most of the castle buildings burn during the Boshin War.
1931
The present keep is rebuilt in reinforced concrete with citizens' donations.
1955
The grounds are designated a Special Historic Site.
1997
The 1931 keep is registered as a Tangible Cultural Property after a major renovation.

Culture

For the people of Osaka the castle is a symbol of the city and of Hideyoshi, who is remembered locally with affection as the ruler who made Osaka a commercial capital. The 1931 reconstruction, one of the first concrete castle keeps in Japan, was an early example of a civic project funded entirely by public subscription.

Osaka Castle Park is a major cherry blossom destination in spring and a venue for concerts, events and jogging throughout the year; the plum grove below the keep blooms in February and March.

Visiting

The castle is a 15 to 20-minute walk from Osakajōkōen Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line or from Tanimachi 4-chōme and Morinomiya subway stations.
The keep interior is a modern museum with a lift; the view from the top-floor gallery takes in the whole city.
Walking the full circuit of the outer moat and stone walls takes about an hour and shows the scale of the Tokugawa fortifications.
Tourist boats on the moat give a view of the walls from water level.

Nearby

Osaka Museum of History
大阪歴史博物館Ōsaka Rekishi Hakubutsukan
City history museum overlooking the castle and the site of the ancient Naniwa Palace.
Umeda
Osaka's northern business and shopping district, a short ride on the Loop Line.
Namba
Entertainment and food district around Dōtonbori to the south.
Himeji Castle
Japan's best-preserved original castle, about an hour west by train.

Frequently asked questions

Is Osaka Castle original?

The stone walls, moats and 13 buildings are original Edo-period structures. The main keep is a reinforced concrete reconstruction of 1931 housing a museum.

Who built Osaka Castle?

Toyotomi Hideyoshi began it in 1583. After his family's defeat in 1615, the Tokugawa shogunate rebuilt the castle from 1620 on top of the old one.

What is inside the Osaka Castle keep?

A museum on Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the castle's history, with armour, screens and models, and an observation deck on the top floor.

How long does a visit to Osaka Castle take?

About one to two hours for the keep and inner grounds; a full walk around the park and moats takes longer.