the story of osaka castle

Hideyoshi wanted to build a castle that mirrored Nobunaga's, but surpassed it in every way: the plan featured a five-story main tower, with three extra stories underground, and gold leafon the sides of the tower to impress visitors. Osaka Castle is a fortified building surrounded by a park and enclosed by moats, located in the east of Kansai’s economic capital. Ieyasu sought to establish a powerful and stable regime under th… In 1614, Osaka Castle was attacked by Tokugawa Ieyasu, victor of the greatest samurai battle in history at Sekigahara and ruler of Japan. The massive six-story citadel (today’s largest surviving castle in Japan at Himeji, has just five) formed the heart of their capital and fief upon its completion in 1611. Ieyasu sought to establish a powerful and stable regime under the rule of his own clan; only the Toyotomi, led by Hideyoshi's son Toy… I climbed all the stairs and had a look around the interior and was impressed with the history and story-telling in the castle. Osaka castle has a rich history and is a really important place in Japanese history. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.[1]. The castle grounds, which cover approximately 61,000 square meters (15 acres),[2] contain thirteen structures that have been designated as important cultural assets by the Japanese government,[3] including: In 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi commenced construction on the site of the Ikkō-ikki temple of Ishiyama Hongan-ji. Osaka Castle (大阪城) is a Japanese castle which is in Osaka city of Osaka Prefecture. Admire the luminous castle during a winter light show. He arrives in the city of Osaka, where the Toyotomi clan accepts him and comes to depend upon his courage and his battlefield skills. Osaka Castle (大坂城 or 大阪城, Ōsaka-jō) is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The Main Tower of Osaka Castle was recognized in 1997 as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property by the national government. It was built on the former site of Honganji Temple. 1-1 Osakajo, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. Early representation of the destruction of the 1663 François Caron book. Ieyasu had the castle's outer moat filled, negating one of the castle's main outer defenses. The Castle grounds, which cover approximately 60,000 square meters (15 acres) contain thirteen structures which … The castle became the center of the new unified Japan under Toyotomi rule and brought with it a short period of peace after centuries of civil war. The main tower of Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one square kilometer. In 1995, Osaka's government approved yet another restoration project, with the intent of restoring the main tower to its Edo-era splendor. Osaka Castle -a symbol of Osaka, which has been handed down through the dramas in history to the present day Osaka Castle is widely known as an emblem of the power and fortune of Hideyoshi The castle, which was the largest in Japan at the time, was to be the center of a unified Japan under the rule of the Toyotomi clan. First erected in 1583, Osaka-joâ s keep was destroyed and rebuilt several times before the present dayâ s modern concrete keep, completed in 1997. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attackers. This attack of 1614 was survived by Toyotomi despite the fact that they were outnumbered. The heart of Osaka Castle was its honmaru or inner bailey, which featured a five-story tenshu (tower or keep) of probably eight internal stories. The Story of Osaka Castle is a 1961 color Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki based on historical events taking place in Japan during the beginning of the 17th century. It is sometimes called kinjo (金城、錦城), because there are some gold arts in Osaka Castle. (The other castles are Himeji Castle and Kumamoto Castle.. Toyotomi Hideyoshi made people build Osaka castle in 1583 (天正11年). For public URBAN park, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments, "Uemachidaichi : OSAKA-INFO – Osaka Visitor's Guide", "The Amazing Race recap: It's a beautiful place to become millionaires", Benesch, Oleg. I had a really good, quick experience. [5] Although the Toyotomi forces were outnumbered approximately two to one, they managed to fight off Tokugawa's 200,000-man army and protect the castle's outer walls. In 1614 Tokugawa attacked Hideyori in the winter, starting the Siege of Osaka. Osaka Castle was originally built in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three men that unified all of Japan. You can take either the JR Loop Line to JR Osakajokoen Station, or the Tanimachi Subway Line and Chuo Subway Line to Tanimachi 4-chome Station near the Otemon Gate approach to Osaka Castle. When Hideyoshi Toyotomi died in 1598, Japan came to be governed by the Council of Five Elders, among whom Ieyasu Tokugawa possessed the most authority. The castle grounds cover approximately 60,000 square meters (15 acres) and contain thirteen structures that have been designated as important cultural assets of Japan. It's not long before the Toyotomi clan hires him - for his unique skills in fighting and planning are quite useful. He is assigned to prevent the Tokugawa clan from attacking Osaka Castle. In 1585 the Inner donjon was completed. It is a popular spot during festival seasons, and especially during the cherry blossom bloom (hanami), when the sprawling castle grounds are covered with food vendors and taiko drummers. Osaka Castle, a staple tourist attraction in the Japanese city, attracts more than 2.5 million visitors every year. Located in the center of the city, Osaka Castle is one of the major tourist attractions in Osaka. The castle is a concrete reproduction (including elevators) of the original and the interior is intended as a modern, functioning museum. Over the years Toyotomi continued to expand the castle, making it more and more formidable to attackers. Mohei is a wandering swordsman. Today, it offers fantastic views of the city and is a popular tourist destination in spring for the beautiful cherry blossoms. First erected in 1583, Osaka-jo’s keep was destroyed and rebuilt several times before the present day’s modern concrete keep, completed in 1997. Written by Jim Beaver . [2] It was also known as Daredevil in the Castle [1] and The Tale of Osaka Castle in the UK. "Castles and the Militarisation of Urban Society in Imperial Japan,", Virtual tour of Osaka Castle examining its modern history on the Japan's Modern Castles YouTube channel, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Osaka_Castle&oldid=1006706485, Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II, Rebuilt buildings and structures in Japan, Articles needing additional references from June 2015, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Three sections of castle wall all located around Otemon Gate, The castle appears in a two-parter of the iconic 1966, This page was last edited on 14 February 2021, at 09:44. [3] The Osaka Castle. In 1868, Osaka Castle fell and was surrendered to anti-bakufu imperial loyalists. Osaka Castle is the global leader Japan’s premier castle technology. Constructions of Osaka Castle Really awe-inspiring sight. The story of the Toyotomi family ends with the winter siege of Osaka Castle in 1614, followed by the summer siege of 1615. Osaka Castle passed to his son, Toyotomi Hideyori. [6], In 1931, the ferroconcrete tenshu was built.[4]:157. History of Osaka Castle Famed general Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who has been described as the "Napoleon of Japan," began the construction of Osaka Castle in 1583. During World War II, the arsenal became one of the largest military armories, employing 60,000 workers. Coming next time, A Guide to Osaka Castle. Most structures are made of wood. In 1597, Hideyoshi died, with Osaka Castle passed on to his young son, Toyotomi Hideyori. In 1603, the Tokugawa shogunate was established, with its capital at Edo. Many of the stones were brought from rock quarries near the Seto Inland Sea, and bear inscribed crests of the various families who contributed them. The castle opens at 9:00 a.m. and is easy to reach from downtown Osaka. The castle was Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s stronghold, and he succeeded to stop the wars that had been going on for more than one century and unifying the entire nation. The history of Osaka Castle goes back to 1496 when it was Ishiyama Hongan-ji (石山本願寺), a temple run by a sect of warrior monks and peasants who were opposed to samurai rule. The Toyotomi forces were overwhelmingly outnumbered by approximately two to one, but managed to fight off the 200,000 Tokugawa-led samurai army due to the strength of the castle and the cunning skill of one of its samurai generals, Yukimura Sanada. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attackers. He built a new elevated main tower, five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and assigned the task of constructing new walls to individual samurai clans. The Osaka Castle is one of the famous castles in Japan. Once on the top level I took in the views of Osaka. It also featured eight giant fusetora (golden tiger) decorations and golden shachi (a mythical creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp) roof ornaments, believed to protect the castle against fire. Much of the castle was burned in the civil conflicts surrounding the Meiji Restoration. The Story of Osaka Castle (大阪城物語, Ōsaka-jō Monogatari) is a 1961 color Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki based on historical events taking place in Japan during the beginning of the 17th century. This 8 story castle was once the center of Japan, when Hideyoshi Toyotomi started its construction in 1583 and when he ruled the wartorn country in 1590. Osaka Castle, “Osaka-jo” in Japanese, is one of the most famous places in Japan. During the summer of 1615, Hideyori began to restore the outer moat. The castle tower is surrounded by secondary citadels, gates, turrets, impressive stone walls and moats. In 1585 the Inner donjon was completed. In 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi commenced construction on the site of the Ikkō-ikki temple of Ishiyama Hongan-ji. It was built in 1583 by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the powerful feudal lord and … To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK", Osaka Castle | © Jakub Hałun/Wikimedia Commons, Early representation of the destruction of Osaka Castle. The basic plan was modeled after Azuchi Castle, the headquarters of Oda Nobunaga. This castle dates back in 1583 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japan’s second “great unifier”, ordered its construction. After defeating Mitsunari Ishida in the battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu essentially seized control of Japan for himself, and abolished the Council. The main tower of Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one square kilometer. The Nishinomaru Garden, encompassing the former "western citadel", is a lawn garden with 600 cherry trees, a tea house, the former Osaka Guest House and nice views of the castle tower from below.Unlike most of the rest of the castle grounds, the garden requires an admission fee. It was also known as Daredevil in the Castle and The Tale of Osaka Castle in the UK. centerpiece of originality and invention, and was the most lavishly decorated among the OUR ULTIMATE COVID BOOKING GUARANTEE. FIND OUT MORE. Hideyoshi continued to extend and expand the castle, making it more and more formidable to attackers. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}34°41′14″N 135°31′33″E / 34.68722°N 135.52583°E / 34.68722; 135.52583, This article is about the castle. The Toyotomi forces were overwhelmingly outnumbered by approximately two to one, but managed to fight off the 200,000 Tokugawa-led samurai army due to the strength of the castle and the cunning skill of one of its samurai generals, Yukimura … In most castles the main tenshu was the primary residence of the lord and his family. For the expansion, Okuni, Masanori, and Yoshimoto get Osaka castle as their final stage of their story for the Toyotomi side. Give yourself 2-3 hours to see everything at Osaka Castle, including the museum, park, gardens, and shops. Osaka Castle is one of the most famous and historic castles in all of Japan. For Okuni's version, Motonari will take part in the battle and must be protected. The castle was Hideyoshi Toyotomiâ s stronghold, and he succeeded to stop the wars that had been going on for more than one century and unifying the entire nation. In 1600 Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated his opponents at the Battle of Sekigahara, and started his own bakufu (i.e., shogunate) in Edo. In 1603, the Tokugawa shogunate was established, with its capital at Edo. The beautiful castle, which was first founded in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, has been the center of several conflicts during the unification of Japan. In this ever-modernizing world, it’s nice to have a reminder that feudal Japan used to exist, and were into making hyper-erotic buildings. In its original construction back in the 16th century, it was unparalleled as the largest and best constructed castle in Japan. Osaka Castle is one of the great landmarks in Osaka. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598, Japan came to be governed by the Council of Five Elders, among whom Tokugawa Ieyasu possessed the most authority. In 1620, the new heir to the shogunate, Tokugawa Hidetada, began to reconstruct and re-arm Osaka Castle. In 1665, lightning struck and burnt down the tenshu. A wandering swordsman, Mohei, enters Osaka in hopes of finding work. Storyline. Those skills are sorely tested when Osaka Castle is besieged by the army of the opposing Tokugawa clan. The original castle was unfortunately attacked again and finally destroyed by the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1615 during the second siege of Osaka Castle. Visit the castle between 9 am and 4:30 pm. The impressive castle took only three years to complete, thanks to the hard work of around 100,000 workers. The castle is open to the public and is easily accessible from Osakajōkōen Station on the JR West Osaka Loop Line. Even my friend Kenta was awed by the tombstone of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu in Koyasan’s Byodo-in Temple. The Battle of Sekigahara happened soon after that and the victory that Tokugawa Ieyasu attained from this battle gave him enough power to start his own shogunate. Hideyoshi continued to extend and expand the castle, … One of Japan’s best winter light-up events is … Osaka Castle. The 5th floor is all about the epic “Summer War in Osaka”, which was a series of battles that took place during the summer campaign in the Siege of Osaka from 1614-1615. Osaka Castle fell to the Tokugawa clan, the Toyotomi clan perished, Hideyori and Yodo-dono committed seppuku and the castle buildings burned to the ground.[4]:153. In 1614, Osaka Castle was attacked by Tokugawa Ieyasu, victor of the greatest samurai battle in history at Sekigahara and ruler of Japan. In 1597 construction was completed and Hideyoshi died the year after. It is built on two raised platforms of landfill supported by sheer walls of cut rock, using a technique called Burdock piling, each overlooking a moat. [6] American bombing raids targeting the arsenal damaged the reconstructed main castle tower and, on August 14, 1945, destroyed 90% of the arsenal and killed 382 people working there. Osaka Castle, in all her antiquated splendor!. After defeating Ishida Mitsunari in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Ieyasu essentially seized control of Japan for himself, and abolished the Council. In 1660, lightning ignited the gunpowder warehouse and the resulting explosion set the castle on fire. In 1868, the castle was razed to the ground rather than being surrendered to the anti-shogunate forces of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. This brought about the end of the powerful Toyotomi clan and led to the undisputed power of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which would rule Japan for the next 250 years. [4]:157, Under the Meiji government, Osaka Castle became part of the Osaka Army Arsenal (Osaka Hohei Kosho) manufacturing guns, ammunition, and explosives for Japan's rapidly expanding Western-style military. While the museum and gardens are open until 5 pm, they stop admitting new visitors at 4:30. The player also must defeat Keiji, and Ieyasu's camp has been moved from the southwestern part of the map to the southeastern garrison. The lovely Gokuraku-bashi Bridge takes you across the moat that surrounds Osaka Castle General Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537 – 1598) constructed the castle in 1583 as a center of the newly unified Japan. In 1997, restoration was completed. Hence, the summer siege led to the downfall of the Toyotomi family and the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The History of Osaka Castle Toyotomi Hideyoshi built the first Osaka Castle after he successfully conquered Japan in 1583.That same year Hideyoshi chose to build his castle atop one of the highest points, the Uemachi Plateau. The castle was rebuilt again in a slightly different spot by the new heir to the shogunate, Tokugawa Hidetada in 1620s, but the main castle tower was struck by lightning in 1665 and burnt down. This five-story castle is one of the most visually magnificent works in the country, dating back almost 450 years. The battle was between the Tokugawa shogunate clan who ruled from Edo Castle and the Toyotomi clan of Osaka. The large indoor arena, Osaka-jō Hall, also is located within the grounds of the castle park. The story behind Osaka Castle The history of the castle began in 1583 when it was built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The five-story main tower featured an exterior covered in gold leaf and ornaments, designed to impress visitors and demoralize enemies. The walls built in the 1620s still stand today, and are made out of interlocked granite boulders without mortar. [4]:157 In 1843, after decades of neglect, the castle got much-needed repairs when the bakufu collected money from the people of the region to rebuild several of the turrets. It is one of Japan's "Three Famous Castles." The current main tower at Osaka Castle is a concrete reconstruction of the 17th-century castle and was completed in 1931. Ieyasu, in outrage, sent his armies to Osaka Castle again, and routed the Toyotomi men inside the outer walls on June 4. It … After his death, the castle were subjected to serious attacks where it was destroyed. As we were about to leave Osaka, I hopped in a cab and did a quick trip to Osaka Castle. Nobunaga attacked Hongan-ji and after winning the battle set the temple ablaze and burnt it to the ground in 1580. The iconic symbol of Osaka in the Kansai region of central Japan played an important role in the unification of Japan during the samurai era of the sixteenth century. The story of these three men is truly impressive and worth mentioning. This year’s display showcases the jokamachi—castle town—of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who constructed the Osaka Castle in 1500’s, as well as Osaka’s evolution since the … Osaka Castle has a long, bloody, and painful history. The Main Tower is a building that symbolizes the castle. In the year of 1614, he attacked the Osaka Castle which started the Siege of Osaka. [4] The basic plan was modeled after Azuchi Castle, the headquarters of Oda Nobunaga. Construction of the 5 story tenshu started in 1628 and was completed 2 years later, about the same time the rest of the reconstruction, and followed the general layout of the original Toyotomi structure.[4]:153–157. 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