Osaka Castle facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Osaka Castle 大坂城
Osaka, Japan
･ Aerial photograph of the Osaka Castle in 2017
Type	Azuchi-Momoyama castle
Site information
Condition	Reconstructed
Site history
Built	1583
Built by	Toyotomi Hideyoshi
In use	1583–1945

The main tower of Osaka Castle

The wide outer moat of Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle (大坂城 or 大阪城, Ōsaka-jō) is a famous Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. This impressive castle and its strong defenses are one of Japan's most well-known landmarks. It played a very important part in bringing Japan together under one ruler during the 1500s, a time known as the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

Exploring Osaka Castle
- Castle Defenses
- Inside the Inner Moat
History of Osaka Castle
Visiting Osaka Castle
Images for kids
See also
Literature

Exploring Osaka Castle

The main part of Osaka Castle, called the keep, sits on a large area of land. It's built on two high platforms made of earth. These platforms are held up by tall walls of cut rock. This special building method helped protect the castle from attacks. The keep looks like it has five floors from the outside, but it actually has eight floors inside! It stands on a very tall stone base to keep everyone inside safe.

Castle Defenses

The main castle building is surrounded by many moats and strong defenses. There are two main moats: an inner moat and an outer moat. The inner moat is closer to the castle. Part of it is filled with water, and another part is dry. The outer moat goes all the way around the castle grounds. It marks the edge of the castle area and is made of four sections filled with water, one for each main direction.

The castle grounds are huge, covering about 15 acres (61,000 square meters). Inside, you can find many important structures. The Japanese government has named thirteen of these as "important cultural assets." Some of these include:

Ote-mon Gate
Sakura-mon Gate
Ichiban-yagura Turret (a small tower)
Inui-yagura Turret
Rokuban-yagura Turret
Sengan Turret
Tamon Turret
Kinmeisui Well
Kinzo Storehouse
Enshogura Gunpowder Magazine
Parts of the 'dobei' mud-and-plaster wall near the Otemon Gate

You can also see some very large stones, called megaliths, at the castle, like the Octopus stone. The outer moat has two main guard points: the Aoyamon Gate in the northeast and the Otemon Gate in the southwest.

Between the outer and inner moats, there are other interesting spots. These include the Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden, the Hoshoan Tea House, and the Hokoku Shrine (Osaka).

To cross the inner moat, you can use the Gokuraku-bashi Bridge in the north or the Sakuramon Gate in the south.

Inside the Inner Moat

Once you are inside the inner moat, the castle is divided into two main areas: the Hommaru (Inner Bailey) and the Yamazato-Maru Bailey. The Hommaru is where you'll find the Main Tower, the Kimmeisui Well, a Japanese Garden, and the Kinzo Treasure House.

The main tower of a Japanese castle, called the tenshu, was used to store things during peaceful times. During wars, it became a strong tower for defense. The offices and homes of the powerful feudal lords, known as daimyo, were usually in smaller buildings near the tenshu and the surrounding watchtowers, called yagura.

History of Osaka Castle

A small model of the castle after it was rebuilt by the Tokugawa family

The Ōte-mon Gate with the moat in front

A rampart (defensive wall) of Osaka Castle in 1865

A stone marking the spot where Toyotomi Hideyori and his mother, Yodo-Dono, died after the castle fell

Building the First Castle

In 1583, a powerful leader named Toyotomi Hideyoshi started building Osaka Castle. He chose the spot where a large temple used to be. Hideyoshi wanted to build a castle that was even grander than the one built by Oda Nobunaga, another famous leader. His plan included a main tower with five floors above ground and three secret floors underground! He even added gold leaf to the sides of the tower to impress visitors.

The main part of the castle was finished in 1585. Hideyoshi kept making the castle bigger and stronger, so it would be very hard for enemies to attack. The construction was completed in 1597. Hideyoshi died the next year, and Osaka Castle was passed on to his son, Toyotomi Hideyori.

The Sieges of Osaka

In 1600, another powerful leader, Tokugawa Ieyasu, won a big battle called the Battle of Sekigahara. He then started his own government in Edo (which is now Tokyo). In 1614, Tokugawa attacked Hideyori in what became known as the Siege of Osaka. Even though Hideyori's army was much smaller, they fought bravely. They managed to defend the castle's outer walls against Tokugawa's huge army of 200,000 soldiers.

However, Tokugawa Ieyasu then had the castle's outer moat filled in. This removed one of the castle's most important defenses. In the summer of 1615, Hideyori tried to rebuild the outer moat. Tokugawa Ieyasu was very angry and sent his armies to Osaka Castle again. On June 4, they defeated Hideyori's forces inside the outer walls.

Osaka Castle fell to the Tokugawa clan. The Toyotomi family was defeated, and Hideyori and his mother, Yodo-dono, sadly took their own lives. The castle buildings were burned to the ground.

Rebuilding by Tokugawa

In 1620, the new leader of Japan, Tokugawa Hidetada, decided to rebuild Osaka Castle. He completely covered up the remains of Hideyoshi's castle with the new one. He gave different samurai families the job of building new walls. The walls you see today were built in the 1620s. They are made of huge granite boulders fitted together without any mortar. Many of these stones came from quarries near the Seto Inland Sea. You can even see the symbols of the families who helped build them carved into the stones.

Tokugawa also built a new, taller main tower. It had five floors on the outside and eight floors inside. This new tower was finished around 1630. It looked similar to Hideyoshi's original tower but was built in a different spot.

Fires and Repairs

Over the years, Osaka Castle faced more challenges. In 1660, lightning struck a gunpowder storage building, causing a huge explosion and a fire. Then, in 1665, lightning struck the main tower itself, burning it down.

For many years, the castle was not well cared for. But in 1843, people from the region raised money to fix several of the castle's towers.

In 1868, during a time of big changes in Japan called the Meiji Restoration, Osaka Castle was taken over by forces loyal to the Emperor. Many castle buildings were burned during these conflicts. The main palace inside the castle was destroyed. Later, another palace from Wakayama Castle was moved here to be a guest house for important visitors.

Modern Times

Under the new Meiji government, Osaka Castle became part of the Osaka Army Arsenal. This was a factory that made guns, ammunition, and explosives for Japan's growing military.

In 1931, the main tower was rebuilt using strong materials like concrete.

Osaka Castle grounds, used as part of the Osaka Army Arsenal, in June 1945

During World War II, the arsenal at Osaka Castle became a very large military factory. It had 60,000 workers. American bombing raids targeted this factory. On August 14, 1945, 90% of the arsenal was destroyed, and many people working there were killed. The rebuilt main tower was also damaged.

In 1995, the government of Osaka decided to restore the main tower again. They wanted it to look like it did during the Edo period. The restoration was finished in 1997. Today, the main tower is a concrete copy of the original. Inside, it is a modern museum with elevators, making it easy for visitors to explore.

The Nishinomaru area of the castle used to have the home of the jōdai, who were important officials. This home was the second largest building after the main palace. Today, this area is a park.

Visiting Osaka Castle

The castle is open to everyone and is easy to reach from Osakajōkōen Station on the JR West Osaka Loop Line. It's a very popular place during festivals, especially when the cherry blossoms bloom in spring. During this time, the castle grounds are filled with food stalls and taiko drummers. A large indoor concert hall, Osaka-jō Hall, is also located within the castle park.

Images for kids

Osaka Castle at night
Osaka Castle pedestrian entrance
Main keep
Otemon (western) Gate
Early representation of the destruction of the 1663 François Caron book
From the roof of Osaka Castle main tower
Prunus mume grove in Osaka Castle Park
Outer moat and Osaka Business Park
Cherry blossom at Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle during twilight
Tenshu of Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle from 1583 until 1615
Osaka Castle from 1620 until 1868
Outer-View of Aoyamon Gate
Inner moat ramparts viewed from inner Aoyamon Gate
Main keep from Gokuraku Bashi (bridge)
Main keep from Marked Stone Square
Main keep from Uzumimon Gate
View of moat from atop Uzumimon Gate
Main keep from Miraiza Building
Inner-view of Sakuramon Gate
Easterly view of dry inner moat outside Sakuramon Gate
Gozabune boat ferrying tourists around on the inner moat.

Literature

Benesch, Oleg. "Castles and the Militarisation of Urban Society in Imperial Japan," Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 28 (Dec. 2018), pp. 107–134.

De Lange, William. (2022). The Siege of Osaka Castle: The Winter and Summer Campaigns. Groningen: Toyo Press. ISBN: 978-9492722386

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