Hideyoshi Begins Osaka Castle

Hideyoshi began Osaka Castle in 1583 after defeating Shibata Katsuie. He chose the Uemachi plateau, broadly overlapping the former Osaka Honganji headquarters and fortified settlement. Its position connected elevated defensive ground with waterways toward Kyoto and the Inland Sea.

Construction enlarged the main and second compounds and eventually enclosed a much wider urban area. Castle buildings, walls, surrounding residences and the town developed through successive works. The project made Osaka a governing base for Hideyoshi’s expanding military network, requiring materials and labor beyond his personal household.

The Toyotomi complex fell in 1615. Tokugawa rebuilding raised new ground and structures over much of it; excavations in 1959 and 1984 revealed buried walls belonging to the earlier castle. The present main tower dates from 1931. Osaka’s visible castle therefore preserves successive construction and reconstruction, while underground remains provide evidence of Hideyoshi’s original base.