Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle, also known as "Golden Castle" or "Brocade Castle," is located within Osaka Castle Park in Chūō-ku, Osaka City, Japan. In ancient times, it was part of Higashinari District in Settsu Province. It is considered one of Japan’s three great castles, alongside Nagoya Castle and Himeji Castle.

During the unification of Japan in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Osaka Castle served as the residence of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was the political center of the Toyotomi regime. Later, Tokugawa Ieyasu completely destroyed the Toyotomi clan through the two Battles of Osaka—the Winter Campaign and the Summer Campaign. Afterward, the Edo Shogunate regarded Osaka Castle as a crucial military base for controlling feudal lords in western Japan.

Situated at the northern tip of the Uemachi Plateau and bordered to the north by the Yodo River, Osaka Castle holds a strategically important position as a transportation hub. It was originally built by Hashiba Hideyoshi (later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi) after he largely unified Japan. The original structure was grand in scale and lavishly decorated with gold. However, the castle suffered extensive damage from wars and natural disasters over the years and has been rebuilt multiple times. The current structure was reconstructed in 1930 (during the Shōwa era) using steel-reinforced concrete. In 1997, it was designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government.

As for the name "Osaka," it was originally written as "大坂" before the Meiji Restoration. However, because the character "坂" can be deconstructed into "士" (samurai) and "反" (rebellion), which was seen as implying "samurai rebellion," the name was changed to "大阪" in 1870 (the third year of Meiji). Consequently, "Ōsaka Castle" also replaced the earlier "Ōsaka-jō." When referring to historical events prior to the name change, the original form "大坂城" is still used to reflect the period accurately.