Osaka Castle (Ōsaka-jō) is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan’s most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period
Description
- The main tower of Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one square kilometer
- It is built on two raised platforms of landfill supported by sheer walls of cut rock, using a technique called Burdock piling, each overlooking a moat
- The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attackers
- The castle grounds, which cover approximately 61000 square meters (15 acres) contain thirteen structures that have been designated as important cultural assets by the Japanese government including:
- Ote-mon Gate
- Sakura-mon Gate
- Ichiban-yagura Turret
- Inui-yagura Turret
- Rokuban-yagura Turret
- Sengan Turret
- Tamon Turret
- Kinmeisui Well
- Kinzo Storehouse
- Enshogura Gunpowder Magazine
- Three sections of castle wall all located around Otemon Gate
- Megaliths at the castle include the Octopus stone
