Osaka Castle
The
Osaka Castle was built in 1496 as a temple complex, named Ishiyama Hongan-ji.
In addition to the monk's quarters and temple, the entire complex was fortified to
protect the inhabitants from the efforts of the warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi to
consolidate his hold on the region. Hideyoshi succeeded in driving out the main
priest, Kennyo, after an 11 year struggle, and began construction of the main tower,
shown in the picture to the left, in 1583. As you can tell from the diagram at the
right, Osaka Castle itself was a large, sprawling fortress, surrounded by a wide moat
and guarded by a series of defensive walls. With a main gate that afforded only
limited access up a walled approach and its own source of water, the Osaka complex
designed by the monks and further fortified by Hideyoshi was intended to withstand the
sieges that often marked the struggles between Shoguns for land and supremacy. Indeed,
Hideyoshi Toyotomi's rule, which began in 1583, was to last a relatively short time;
after successfully fending off a siege by the rival Tokugawa Shogun in the winter of
1614, The rule of Hideyoshi Toyotomi came to end in the Summer Battle of 1615.
[See video below for a brief summary of this rivalry]. The Osaka Castle grew in size and
fortification under the Tokugawa Shogunate (1620-1868). Following a decline at the end
of the Tokugawa rule, Osaka Castle underwent major renovations in 1931 and 1935.
Tours
of the castle begin at the only point of access across the inner system of moats, the
Sakura-mon Gate (left), which leads to the inner bailey, or courtyard.
Much narrower than the entrances to many of the Edo Period Castles, the entrance opens
onto a relatively narrow pass that is lined on both sides by stone walls. The walls
themselves turn at right angles, and this would limit the speed and movement of anyone
who successfully breached the Ote-mon (outer) Gate. The photo to the
right gives one some idea of the scale of the outer protective wall.
Our
tour of the Osaka Castle complex centered around the distinctive Main Tower, which is
also a museum. The tower sits at the far end of the inner bailey, and is accessed via
two sets of stairs. On the landing between the flights of stairs sits the Kinmeisui
Well, The well casing and housing date from the Toyotomi reconstruction and served as
the central water source for the castle. One more flight up is the entrance to the
Main Tower, flanked on one side by the famous "marker gun," a cannon from the Tokugawa
era that was fired every day to signal
the
noon hour. (photo to the left) The entrance to the Main Tower (below left) leads to
the ground floor of the eight-story museum that now occupies this central location in
Osaka Castle. The museum itself, however, is laid out in reverse fashion; the exhibit,
which goes in more or less chronological order, floor by floor, starts at the 8th
floor and finishes on the second. The first floor contains a small theater (left), a
gift shop and information area.
The
8th floor contains an outdoor observation deck, as well as a series of
Nishikie (multi-colored woodblock prints)
that offer a view of the Port of Naniwa, as it appeared around the time of the
Shoguns. The photo to the left shows a shachi (roof tile in the form of a
mythical ocean fish) that is found at the peak of the roof. This view from the
observation deck overlooks the Osaka Municipal Building. The photo to the right shows
the Nishikie block prints that line
the 8th floor walls, as well as the television monitors that also show scenes from the
port while explaining the growth of Osaka during its early years.
The
7th floor focuses upon the history of Osaka Castle and its environs during the reign
of its first shogun, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The photo to the left shows the large screen
panel that traces the lineage of the Shogun and his family. Around the walls of this
floor are a number of monitors that display holographic images of the Shogun at key
points in his life. photo to the right) The narratives lead up to the two fateful
sieges, the winter siege of 1614 and the summer siege of 1615, that led to the
downfall of the Toyotomi family and the rise of the Tokugawa
Shogunate.
Also contained on the 7th floor is another panel that describes the history of the
Osaka Castle and the changes introduced during the reign of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. (photo
to the left)
The
5th and 6th Floors are devoted to the transition period between the fall of the
Toyotomi Shogunate and the rise of the final Japanese Shogunate, the Tokugawa. The
main subject of this transitional era is, of course, the monumental struggle between
the two families for supremacy. In 1603, Ieyasu Tokugawa who increased in power after
Hideyoshi's death, established the Shogunate in Edo (Tokyo) and held ruling power.
However, there remained a tense relationship between the Toyotomi family and the
Tokugawas even after the Tokugawa Shogunate was founded. In 1614, Ieyasu Tokugawa
accused Hideyoshi Toyotomi falsely, which triggered off the Winter Siege of Osaka. For
about one month, the Toyotomi Forces, consisting of about 100,000 soldiers, held Osaka
Castle and defended the castle from the attack of the Tokugawa Forces, consisting of
200,000 soldiers. But the Tokugawa Forces did not succeed in capturing the
sogamae (outer citadel). After concluding peace, however, the outer moats of
Osaka Castle were filled up and the castle became defenseless, in which the only
Honmaru (Inner Bailey) remained. The Toyotomi family began restoration of
Osaka Castle by digging up the outer moats which had been filled up after the family
had concluded peace with the Tokugawa family in the Winter Siege of Osaka. The
Tokugawas, however, regarded the work as rearmament, which triggered off the Summer
War of Osaka. It was five months after the end of the Winter Siege. The Toyotomi
Forces struck the Tokugawas first outside the castle, but they had to retreat to Osaka
Castle which was almost defenseless. As a result of the War, the city was in utter
confusion. Osaka Castle finally fell and the Toyotomi family was ruined. The photo to
the left shows miniatures of the two families as they appeared during the summer war,
while the photo to the right is a wall sized video telling the story of the Summer War
of Osaka.
The
3rd and 4th floors are dedicated to the historical materials gathered from the reign
of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, as well as scale models of the Osaka Castle complex as it
appeared during both the Toyotomi and Tokugawa periods. The photo to the left shows
some of the 8,000 artifacts on display. These are wall scrolls depicting the life and
times of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. A larger image of one of the scrolls is visible in the
photo to the right. In addition to the wall scrolls and models, this section of the
exhibition also tells the story of the clash between the mighty shoguns on a series of
exquisitely painted wall screens.
The
photo to the immediate left tells the story of the Summer Battle as the Toyotomi army,
outnumbered 3 to 1, suffered a crushing defeat on the plains outside of Osaka Castle.
The Castle itself was largely destroyed and then rebuilt during the reign of the
Tokugawa Shogunate. Restored first in 1933 and then again in 1995, the Castle is now a
public park, featuring restoration of many of the original buildings and
fortifications. It is now also home to one of Japan's largest entertainment venues, a
huge Osaka stadium located within the Castle walls. Freed from its feudal past, Osaka
Castle today is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, especially in the spring
time, when the path from the Ote-mon gate is lined with cherry trees in full
bloom.
VIRTUAL VISIONS:
Although we do not use any images or video that require a plug-in for the purposes of speed and simplicity (most people really get annoyed by having to interrupt their viewing to download a plug-in), there are some spectacular sites that feature them. Here are links to two sites that really provide those of you with QuickTime installed (or who are willing to install it) with an amazingly "you are there" tour of the Osaka Castle.
Click here to see a panorama of Osaka Castle in the spring
Click here for a virtual tour of Osaka, via interlocking panoramas--truly spectacular. The link takes you to the main page. Select the second option "VR Tours" to see the series of panoramas