Osaka Castle Park, located in the center of Osaka City, is a vast park with an area of about 1,056,000 square meters. The park is dotted with a variety of attractions, including the Osaka Castle Main Tower, the Osaka State Guest House, a music hall, a baseball stadium, and forests with seasonal flowers.
Osaka Castle, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, has been given a variety of titles, including a special historic site of Japan, three most famous castles in Japan, and one of Japan's 100 famous castles.
1. History of Osaka castle
Osaka Castle was built on the site of Ishiyama Honganji Temple.
In 1580, Nobunaga Oda burnt down Ishiyama Honganji Temple, and then left Settsu country (current Osaka) to Hideyoshi.
After the death of Nobunaga, it was once given to Tsuneoki Ikeda, but after the Ikeda family moved to Mino, Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle and became the home of the Toyotomi administration. It is said that Kanbe Kuroda was in charge of the design.
After Hideyoshi's death, Mitsunari Ishida was defeated in the battle of Sekigahara, and Ieyasu Tokugawa opened the Edo Shogunate in 1603. Hideyori Toyotomi of Osaka Castle controlled Settsu, Kawachi and Izumi countries (all current Osaka).
However, in 1614, he was attacked by a large army of Tokugawa, and engaged in a cage battle.
At this time, the Toyotomi family hired Ronin, including Sanada Yukimura who was a famous warrior battled in Sanadamaru.
The battle was controversial, but the Sannomaru and Ninomaru were destroyed, and Osaka Castle was turned into a "naked castle", leaving only Uchibori and Honmaru (main castle).
As a result, Hideyori attempted to rebuild the moat, but this was considered a violation of the peace conditions, and four months later, in 1615, Hideyori and Ieyasu fought again and the Osaka Castle fell.
The current appearance of Osaka Castle's stone walls, etc., was later renovated by the Tokugawa administration.
The second-generation castle tower was destroyed by lightning, and the third-generation castle tower was rebuilt in 1931 by a citizen's donation. The castle tower is about 55 meters high. It has eight floors and the interior is a history museum.
2. Houkoku Shrine
Houkoku Shrine is a shrine dedicated to Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
A good visiting route is to see Houkoku Shrine before heading to the castle tower. Along with the sightseeing of Osaka Castle, many foreign tourists are visiting this shrine because it is very popular as a god of good luck.
There is also a garden called "Shusekitei Garden" at the back right of the shrine.
3. Osaka castle tower
Here is the main place of Osaka castle, and you can see the castle tower just in front of you!
If you're tired, it's a good idea to take a break and gaze at the castle tower.
Once you enter the castle, there is an elevator but if it is crowded, you can also walk up.
4. View from Osaka Castle
From the observation deck on the 8th floor, you can look down 360 degrees around Osaka city. If the weather is fine, you can overlook the Osaka Plain from a height of about 50m above the ground. Enjoy the view as if you were Hideyoshi!
5. Museum inside of Osaka Castle
When you go down, you can pass the museum where valuable materials about Hideyoshi are exhibited. You can enjoy watching them with pictures and models. There are a full-scale replica of "shachi (orca)" decorating the roof of the castle tower and "Fukuko (tiger)" coloring the walls. The museum also displays a restored model of the first castle tower and a diorama depicting Hideyoshi's life. One must-see is the Golden Tea House on the third floor. It is a full-scale restoration of a tea house that Hideyoshi had set up at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto to offer tea to the Emperor. All rooms and tea utensils are golden! You can see the gorgeousness of the Hideyoshi era, called the Golden Period! The glory of those days can be imagined.
※Some parts are prohibited to take pictures.
6. New popular place "MIRAIZA OSAKA-JO"
At the knee of the Osaka Castle tower is "MIRAIZA OSAKA-JO". It is a stately building, which was originally a historic building called the Former Fourth Division Command Building built in 1931 with the rebuilding of the castle tower. It was renewed in 2017 and turned into a restaurant and cafe where everyone can enjoy. The exterior of Miraiza Osaka Castle is designed to resemble an ancient medieval castle in Europe. You can see the remnants on the wall decorations and the four corner towers. This building was used as the Osaka Metropolitan Police Department and the Osaka City Museum for a long time. When you go inside, you will feel a classic and solid atmosphere. The central staircase has been renewed with its original appearance, and the railings are made of marble. The lighting seems to recreate the original design.
7. Stroll through the park where you can enjoy the flowers of the four seasons!
The attraction of Osaka Castle Park is that it is full of nature even in the city center. Mostly surrounded by forests, it is a place of relaxation for people in Osaka.
Osaka Castle Park has many other areas including the vast Nishinomaru Garden, where you can enjoy the seasonal flowers such as cherry blossoms, plum, peach trees and hydrangea.
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