One of Japan's most grandiose, yet short-lived castles, Fushimi-jō was first built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi between 1592 and 1594. Like Azuchi-jō in neighboring Shiga-ken, Fushimi Castle was meant to serve as a lavish palace and symbol of power, despite its outward appearance of a fortress. Despite these plans, it collapsed in an earthquake in 1596 - a mere two years after its completion. Hideyoshi had the castle rebuilt shortly afterwards, dubbing it Momoyama-jō (or "Plum Mountain Castle") and soon handing it over to Torii Mototada, a vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1600 it fell to an army 40,000-strong led by Ishida Mitsunari. The 11-day long defense maintained by Mototada allowed Ieyasu enough time to build an army that soon led him to victory at the Battle of Sekigahara (Mototada committed seppuku, or ritual suicide, upon the castle's fall). Fushimi-jō was finally torn down in 1623, with parts of it taken to other parts of the country (most notably the ornate, former Kara-mon going to Kyōto's Nishi Hongan-ji). The present ferro-concrete reconstruction was built in 1964. As the original site of Fushimi-jō is now occupied by Emperor Meiji's mausoleum, the current replica sits further northwest than the original castle did. While the modern castle structure once housed a museum on the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, this closed to the public in 2003; presently the exterior is the only part of the castle that can be visited.