Osaka Castle (大阪城) stands on the site of the original Buddhist stronghold Ishiyama Hongan-ji 石山本願寺, which was fallen to Oda Nobunaga 織田 信長 in 1580 after a 10-year siege in his effort to unify Japan. In 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣 秀吉 began construction of the Osaka Castle as his headquarter. This site is protected by the Yodo River 淀川 on the north and west. To be successful, its attacker must have superior land and navel forces.
After Toyotomi’s death in 1598 and the victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川 家康 at the Battle of Sekigahara 関ヶ原の戦 in 1600, the fate of the Toyotomi clan is all but sealed. Only Toyotomi’s young heir Hideyori 豊臣 秀頼 and his mother, Yodo-gimi 淀君, clinked to an unrealistic hope of restoring power, prompting Tokugawa to eliminate any possible rivalry.
The siege of Osaka Castle happened in two stages, the winter campaign of 1614-15 and the summer campaign of 1615. A truce was agreed after the costly inconclusive winter assault. Tokugawa demanded that the moats of the castle be filled in as a sign of good faith. After the castle was rendered defenseless, Tokugawa reneged on a pretext and attacked on the next summer. With no defensive position, Toyotomi’s army was forced to engage the numerically superior enemy in the open ground south of the castle. After their last defeat, Hideyori and his mother committed suicide. Most of the Toyotomi clan and their top followers were taken to Kyoto and executed as traitors.
Afterward, the castle became the personal property of the Tokugawa shogun, but the citizens of Osaka were taxed to pay for its reconstruction and up keep. However, the Tokugawa shoguns rarely paid any visits, except the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu 徳川 慶喜, who occasionally entertained foreign dignitaries here. During the 1868 conflict of the Meiji Restoration, he briefly sought refuge here before fleeing by sea.
By the late 19th century, modern weapons rendered stone fortification obsolete and the castle was relegated as an army barracks. Several fire damages were never repaired. Restoration started in 1928 after a successful fund-raising drive. During WW2, the restored tower was severely damaged by U.S. bombing.
Today, the castle ground is a public park. The current main tower Tenshu-kaku 天守閣 is a concrete replica resulted from the 1995-97 reconstruction. It is used as a museum showcasing the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his castle. The top floor has an observation deck with great views of the city. It follows modern building code and even includes an elevator for the handicapped.