Meeting point
SAMURAI HONOR signboard is a landmark
↓
Sacred Spot 1/Aoyamon Gate
View the towering castle tower from the Aoyamon Gate, a spot at the crossroads where you can get a close-up view of the Honmaru. To ascend to the main castle from this Aoyamon gate, one crosses a bridge called Gokurakubashi (Gokurakubashi Bridge).
↓
Sacred Spot 1.5/Aoyamon Gate
A spot for an immaculate view of the castle tower.
↓
Sacred Spot 2/Gokurakubashi Bridge
The name “Gokurakubashi” comes from the fact that people crossed this bridge when going to the Amida Hall (Paradise) at Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which was located here before Osaka Castle was built.
↓
Sacred Spot 2.5/Gokurakubashi Bridge
The water moat, stone walls, and castle tower, together with the Gokurakubashi Bridge that has spanned this location since ancient times, make for a view that is filled with the fragrance of history....
↓
SacredSpot 3/Monument at the place where Hideyori,Yododono & others suicide
others committed suicide suicide Hideyori Hideyori and his mother Yododono, who were cornered by the Tokugawa forces, committed suicide in a cypress. In 1615, Toyotomi Hideyori and his mother Yododono (Chasa) committed suicide after the Tokugawa forces invaded Osaka Castle during the Osaka Summer Battle. Unfortunately, no words of wisdom were left behind for Toyotomi Hideyori. What did he say to Yododono and his vassal Harunaga Ohno when the c
↓
Sacred Spot 4/Statue of Yodo-kun (Sei Kannon Bosatsu)
Some people feel a sense of resentment when they see the statue of Yodogun looking down. Although the statue is looking down, it looks as if it is smiling, or smiling slightly, or even looking as if it is in pain. In the Edo period, the castle was feared as the site of a “grudge match between soldiers of the Toyotomi clan,” because of phenomena that occurred at Osaka Castle, such as the sound of warring generals being heard late at night and fireballs appearing in the empty moat on summer nights
↓
Sacred Spot 5/Imprinted Stone Plaza
Engraved stones are stones on which the vassals and masons of the feudal lords who were ordered to participate in the construction of the stonewalls of Osaka Castle engraved letters or patterns as necessary on individual stones during the stone gathering and masonry process, and also engraved the family crest of the feudal lord in charge on the surface of the finished stonewall.
↓
Sacred Spot 6/Hidden Circle(Marks of the Izushi and Ozu Clans)
The “engraved stone” can be seen clearly from the “engraved stone plaza” in the “hidden circle,” as it is called.
↓
Sacred Spot 7/Karahori - (The Battle of Osaka - The Phantom Flood)
He who controls the water controls the kingdom The moat has been empty since the reign of Hideyoshi, and was not filled in during the Battle of Osaka, as explained earlier. The greatest battle of the Warring States period, the Battle of Osaka. Ieyasu Tokugawa attacked with a huge army of about 200,000 men. What lay before him was Osaka Castle, which had been turned into an impregnable water fortress by a massive flood. The young prince Hideyori was in command of the operation.
↓
Sacred Spot 8/Tenshukaku (castle tower)
With 55 meters above the ground and five levels and eight stories, this castle is the most difficult to attack in Japan. Even with an army of 200,000 troops from the Tokugawa side, they were unable to break the Osaka Castle's defenses. The golden ornamentation everywhere shines brilliantly, including (1) golden shachihoko on the roof, (2) cranes on the walls, and (3) a tiger under the kagaran. (Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan)
↓
Sacred Spot 9/Honmaru Japanese Garden
This is a popular photo spot where you can see Osaka Castle upside down, with the castle tower beautifully set in the background.
↓
Sacred Spot 10/Sakura-mon Gate
Sakura-mon Toraguchi is an entrance square, and Sakura-mon is a castle gate in the form of a koraimon. This means that a roof for the door is provided on both the left and right sides to protect the open door from rainwater. Seen on the stone walls on the left and right sides are giant stones called “dragon stones” and “tiger stones,” names apparently derived from the Chinese belief that a blue dragon and a white tiger guard the direction of the stone walls.
↓
Sacred Spot 11/6-gun gun narrow and side arrow hangers
There are a total of 16 gun embrasures: eight with kasashi-gamen and eight with round embrasures on the earthen walls. On the left side of the earthen bridge, there is a circle where side arrow hangers can be placed.
↓
Sacred Spot 12/Toyokuni Shrine
This shrine enshrines Hideyoshi, Hideyori, and Hidenaga, and is known as the god of success and fortune.
↓
Sacred Spot 13/Statue of Lord Hideyoshi
Lord Hideyoshi, standing, holding a military rank and wearing armor and a haori (a coat of arms), has the appearance of a wise general. Looking slightly backward, the sword in his hand lifts the back of his haori in a realistic manner.
↓
Sacred Spot 14/Osaka Castle Plum Grove
Approximately 1,245 plum trees of 105 varieties are planted in an area of about 1.7 ha on the east side of the inner moat. In early spring, the park is crowded with visitors with colorful and magnificent flowers.
↓
-End point
SAMURAI HONOR signboard is a landmark