Osaka Castle was originally built as a display of power and grandeur by samurai warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi after accomplishing his goal of unifying Japan. The Toyotomi stronghold was completed in 1586 by around 100,000 workers after only three years of work, and was unparalleled at the time as the largest castle in Japan
The castle was to become the center of the new unified Japan under Hideyoshi after centuries of war. It featured a five-tiered main keep with the exterior of the keep covered in gold leaf and ornaments to impress visitors and enemies alike. One of the most impressive was the golden shachi, a roof ornament in the form of a mythical creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp, believed to protect against fire. The keep also featured 8 giant fusetora tigers (golden tiger) decorations.
Unfortunately, the original castle was destroyed by Tokugawa Ieyasu’s forces in 1615 during the second siege of Osaka Castle. The castle was rebuilt again but was razed to the ground rather than being surrendered it to the forces of the Meiji Restoration in 1868
The current structure is a 1931 concrete reconstruction of the original Toyotomi castle.
