Osaka Castle is a prominent symbol of Osaka City, originally constructed in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi on the site of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji temple-fortress, which had been the scene of a violent uprising by warrior monks and peasants in the late 16th century. Modeled on Oda Nobunaga’s Azuchi Castle, the original Osaka Castle tenshu (tower keep) featured five visible floors, six interior floors, and two underground basements. The exterior was lacquered black and adorned with gold decorations, including large peony flowers, tigers, birds, and various crests.
The lavish use of gold on Osaka Castle’s exterior surpassed even the grandeur of Azuchi Castle. The shachihoko-gawara (roof decorations with a tiger’s head and a scaly fish’s body), other roofing tiles, and rounded eave edge tiles were all finished in gold leaf. Inside, pillars were lacquered red or black, and walls were beautifully decorated with gold leaf and paintings by leading artists of the time. Hideyoshi often conducted tours of the luxurious keep to enhance his power and authority.
After Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, construction of the castle continued until the entire structure, including the San-no-Maru and all the defensive elements like earthen walls, water moats, and dry moats, was completed. During the Winter Siege of Osaka in 1614, Sanada Yukimura built the Sanada-Maru, a vast defensive structure that greatly strengthened the southern end of Osaka.
Following Hideyoshi’s death, his five-year-old son, Hideyori, inherited the castle. However, the peace achieved by Hideyoshi was disrupted when Tokugawa Ieyasu, the leader of the Council of Regents established to assist Hideyori, made moves to seize power. This led to the nation being divided between the Tokugawa-led East and the Toyotomi-loyal West, culminating in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Although the Tokugawa won, many daimyo remained loyal to the Toyotomi, prompting Ieyasu to launch the Winter Siege of Osaka in 1614. Despite being outnumbered, the Toyotomi forces held off the attack. However, in 1615, Ieyasu raised 150,000 samurai and laid siege to Osaka Castle again, eventually destroying it with artillery and fire, killing thousands of Toyotomi loyalists and ending the Toyotomi clan.
In 1620, the Tokugawa clan rebuilt Osaka Castle to erase any trace of the Toyotomi fortress. The moats were widened and deepened, and the stone walls were reconfigured to reach 30 meters in height. The tenshu was rebuilt about 45 meters west of the original keep, and a three-story watchtower was added. This new castle was partially destroyed in 1660 by an explosion and fire caused by lightning striking a gunpowder warehouse. The main donjon was destroyed by another lightning strike in 1665. Finally, the castle was attacked and burned during the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
The current ferro-concrete tower, reconstructed in 1931, blends old and new elements from different clans and periods. It was based on the shape of the Toyotomi castle but built in the white-walled, green-roofed style preferred by the Tokugawa clan, atop the remaining stone base from the 1620s. Thirteen original Tokugawa period structures remain and are designated as Important Cultural Assets. Notably, the stone walls of Osaka Castle have survived demolition, war, and earthquakes since their construction in the 1620s.
See also
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Okayama Castle
According to a number of accounts, the earliest fortifications on the site of present-day Okayama Castle appeared as early as the 14th century and were built by the Nawa clan. The Asahigawa River was used as a natural defensive barrier, protecting one side of the fortifications.
In the early 16th century, the Kanamitsu clan constructed a new castle here, which at the time was known as Ishiyama. In 1573, it came under the control of the Ukita clan, after which Ukita Naoie (1529–1582) launched large-scale reconstruction efforts. He did not live to see the work completed, and construction was continued by his son Hideie. -
Nagahama Castle
Hashiba, later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, received Odani Castle and the surrounding lands from Oda Nobunaga after the defeat of the Azai clan. However, Odani Castle was located high in the mountains, which made it poorly suited for the effective administration of the territory. For this reason, in 1575 Hideyoshi began constructing a new castle in the village of Imahama on the shore of Lake Biwa. Taking the character naga from Nobunaga’s name, he renamed both the village and the new castle Nagahama.
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Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle is traditionally considered to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563–1645), although by the time the Hosokawa clan came to control these lands, the fortification had already existed since at least 1569 and was most likely built by members of the Mori clan.
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Ikeda Castle
In 1334, Ikeda Noriyoshi built a small fort on this site, which over time was repeatedly expanded and rebuilt. During the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, the Ikeda clan supported the Western Coalition. As a result, Ikeda Castle was attacked and captured by the forces of the Eastern Coalition, but it was soon recaptured, allowing it to avoid serious destruction.
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Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle
Aizu-Wakamatsu is the most powerful and at the same time the oldest castle in the Tōhoku region in the north of Honshu Island. Its history begins in the 14th century and is closely connected with the Ashina clan, whose members claimed descent from the legendary Taira family.
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Maruoka Castle
Maruoka Castle is located in the central part of the former city of Maruoka, which is now part of the city of Sakai. This area lies in the northeastern part of Fukui Prefecture. The castle was built on the bank of the Kuzuryu River, on the side opposite Fukui City, which once served as the administrative center of the former Echizen Province. Thanks to its location, Maruoka held significant strategic importance, as it controlled two major routes at once: the Hokurikudo highway leading from Kaga Province and the Mino Kaido road connecting these lands with Mino Province.
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Marugame Castle
Marugame is part of the so-called “Authentic Dozen,” a group of twelve castles whose donjons have survived to the present day without major reconstructions since the Edo period.
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Iyo Matsuyama Castle
Historically, the center of Iyo Province—corresponding to today’s Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku—was the city of Imabari, while the Matsuyama area was regarded as an agricultural hinterland with broad plains and low hills. During the Muromachi period, the central part of the province was governed by the Kano clan from Yuzuki Castle. With the onset of the Sengoku period, however, this clan lost its former influence and was forced to survive in the shadow of the more powerful Mori and Chōsokabe clans. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s forces conquered Shikoku in 1587, the northern part of Iyo Province was granted to Fukushima Masanori, one of the so-called “Seven Spears of Shizugatake.” In 1595, Masanori was transferred to Kiyosu Castle, and the lands around Matsuyama were given to another of the Seven Spears, Katō Yoshiaki, who received Masaki Castle and an income of 60,000 koku of rice.
