- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1583 · 16th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Ōsaka Prefecture, Japan
- Commissioned by
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
- Coordinates
- 34.6872°, 135.5258°
History
Toyotomi Hideyoshi began building the castle in 1583 on the site of the fortified temple of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, as the seat of his power over a newly unified Japan. In 1614–1615 Tokugawa Ieyasu besieged it twice, and its fall brought the death of Hideyoshi's son Hideyori and the end of the Toyotomi line. The Tokugawa buried the old castle and built a new one on top, but its keep burned after a lightning strike in the 17th century. Further damage came in the fighting of 1868 and the air raids of the Second World War. The present reinforced-concrete keep was rebuilt in 1931 with donations from local people and thoroughly renovated in the late 20th century.
What to see
The keep houses a museum on Hideyoshi and the sieges of Osaka, with models, armour and painted screens, and an observation deck on the top floor overlooks the whole city. The enormous stone walls are impressive in their own right, especially the giant Octopus Stone by the Sakura-mon gate. The sprawling castle park, with its plum orchards and cherry trees, is one of the city's favourite places for blossom viewing.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q321242
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