Main Tower of Osaka Castle

Completed by Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1583, Osaka Castle is one of the three great castles in Japan and affectionally called ”Mr. Taiko's castle” by the citizens of Osaka. The Main Tower has been destroyed twice by fire—once in war and once from a lightning strike—but reconstructed with donations by citizens in 1931. The Main Tower of Osaka Castle was designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1997, and five-tier, eight-story tower that soars 55 meters above the castle mound has become an enduring symbol of Osaka. The observatory on the eighth floor commands a panoramic view of Osaka, and inside the tower is a history museum with exhibitions highlighting the history of Osaka Castle, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and his era, the Summer Siege of Osaka Folding Screen, and the Chronicle of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, giving you a taste of the castle's glory days and the life of Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Visit the castle's history museum—a fun place to learn about Osaka Castle and Hideyoshi Toyotomi
Step inside the Main Tower and visit the museum dedicated to the story of Osaka Castle and life of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Here you'll discover abundant historical relics and interesting video. The exhibits include a full-scale replica of the Golden Tea Room, the golden shachihoko (dolphin-like fish), which is the same as those adorning the Main Tower, the golden fusetora (a tiger watching its prey), and other valuable cultural assets.

The robust buildings that once protected Tokugawa military government's Osaka Castle have now become Important Cultural Properties
The Main Tower of Osaka Castle stands within the ruins of Osaka Castle, designated as a Special Historic Site by the national government. The grounds also feature other historic buildings that are Important Cultural Properties. The Tokugawa bakufu (military government) rebuilt Osaka Castle and made the fortress one of its strongholds to rule western Japan. This is suggested by the robust and functional buildings such as Sengan yagura in the southwest corner of the Nishinomaru garden, Ensho-gura, which is the only remaining stone gunpowder storehouse, and Rokuban yagura, which is a Sumi yagura (corner tower) located in the southwest part of Ninomaru.

The current Main Tower of Osaka Castle exists thanks to donations by citizens of Osaka
The original Osaka Castle built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi was destroyed in the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615. Although the second Tokugawa Shogun, Hidetada, rebuilt castle structures such as the Main Tower, lightning struck the Main Tower in 1665 and burned the hapless tower down again. In 1931, citizens of Osaka offered donations to reconstruct the tower. To celebrate the enthronement of Emperor Showa, an improvement project for Osaka Castle Park was proposed in 1928 that included reconstruction of the Main Tower, and donations for the project were solicited; in fact, the 1.5 million JPY building expenses were all covered by donations from citizens. And after 266 years without a tower at the castle, Osaka finally had a new one in 1931 to grace the city.