The glory and History of upheaval Famous castles
Osaka Castle was the predecessor of Osaka Honganji Temple (Ishiyama Honganji Temple) in the Warring States period, and has always had a deep connection with Japanese history, from the Ishiyama Battle against Oda Nobunaga, to the construction by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the fall of the castle in the Osaka Battle, reconstruction by the Tokugawa Shogunate, burning during the Meiji Restoration uprisings, army jurisdiction after the Meiji Restoration and post-war park development. The stonewalls and moats that can still be seen today are the result of the fire. The stonewalls, moats and old structures such as the Ote-mon Gate, Tamon Yagura and Senkan Yagura were all built after the Tokugawa period, and the area is designated as a Special National Historic Site and most of the old buildings as Important Cultural Properties.
The castle tower is the third one following those of the Toyotomi and Tokugawa periods, and was reconstructed in 1931 (Showa 6) with donations from the public. It has a history of more than 90 years and is designated as a registered cultural property. Since its reconstruction, it has been used as a history museum under the name ‘Osaka Castle Keep’ and houses a wealth of cultural assets related to the history of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Warring States period and Osaka Castle, and is open to the public in the exhibition rooms inside, which are replaced from time to time.
The Turbulent History of Osaka Castle
Ishiyama Honganji Era
In 1496 a high-ranking monk of the Joudoshinshu sect had a monastic residence built near the site of present-day Osaka Castle. This eventually grew into a large temple known as Ishiyama (Osaka)Honganji. The temple boasted great power and influence until 1580 when it yielded to Nobunaga Oda during his campaign of national unification and was burned to the ground.
Osaka Castle under Toyotomi
After the death of Nobunaga Oda,Hideyoshi Hashiba (Toyotomi) took control of political affairs and began construction of a castle on the site of Ishiyama Honganji in 1583. He built a castle befitting the permanent residence of the ruler of Japan. However, after his death, political control moved to the Tokuga was and the castle fell during the Summer War in Osaka 1615.
Reconstruction by the Tokugawa Shogunate
By command of the second shogun, Hidetada, reconstruction of Osaka Castle began in 1620. It was a large-scale reconstruction that took 10 years to complete. In 1665 the Main Tower was destroyed by a lightning strike. However the castle played a major role as the base for the Shogunate’s control of Western Japan. Many buildings were later destroyed by fires during the turbulent transition to
imperial restoration.
Reconstruction of the Main Tower in the Showa Period
After the Meiji period, the site of Osaka Castle was used by the army. During this
time, in 1931, public efforts and enthusiasm brought about the reconstruction of the Main Tower, and it was included in the list of Registered Cultural Properties of Japan in 1997. The area around the Castle was damaged during the bombing raids of World War II, but restored and turned into a historic site park after the war.
The collections of Osaka Castle Museum
