[Osaka] Osaka Castle & Hokoku Shrine Half-day Architecture & Historical Tour

• Skip the line
• City view from the top of the castle
• The castle’s military design and defenses
• The largest stone in the castle and learn how it was transported

Discover Osaka Castle’s brilliant military design on this walking tour. Starting at Subway Tanimachi 4-chome Station, explore moats, gates, and maze-like entrances built to delay and trap attackers. Walk the zigzag routes enemies once faced, see the largest stone, learn 16th-century transport methods, and spot hidden marks from master craftsmen. Understand how wall angles and stonework made them unclimbable. Explore the tower as both command post and last defense, with arrow slits, gun ports, and gold used as psychological warfare. Conclude with how this “invincible” fortress fell in 1614–1615, driven by the fierce rivalry between Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s legacy and Tokugawa Ieyasu’s ambition.