Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle is a landmark of Japan, the most influential castle in the history of this country. The castle has 5 floors, 3 more are underground, and the territory occupied by the castle is 1 km2.
The castle in Osaka was built by the commander Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1585-1598, based on the Azuchi Castle. Hideyoshi established all important trade routes in Osaka in Japan, which was fragmented by internecine wars. During his rule, the surrounding area became the center of the economic life of the state. The castle builders were tasked with building an impregnable fortress, the grandeur of which corresponded to the status of Toyotomi. The castle was built on rocky platforms with an elevation of 20 meters. The castle is surrounded by moats 90 meters wide and 12 km long. 20-30 thousand people were involved at a time during the construction.
In 1614, the power of the fortress was tested in practice during the war of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hideyori. Tokugawa's 200,000-strong army was unable to capture the castle, so he filled up the castle's moats, which play an essential role in defense. In the following year, Hideyori tried to dig out the outer moat, upon learning about this, Tokugawa became furious and sent his soldiers again, but this time they managed to take the castle in Osaka. Hideyori and his mother committed suicide.
In 1620, Tokugawa restored and enlarged the castle grounds. In 1665, lightning struck the main tower, and the resulting fire caused enormous damage. Soon the castle was restored, the fire of 1860 damaged the castle again. By the 20th century, only ruins remained of the castle, and what remained was adapted for barracks. The main tower was restored only in 1931, but already during the Second World War, many structures were damaged during a raid by American bombers. In 1997, the castle was rebuilt and opened to all comers. Not far from the garden of Osaka Castle, there is a stadium where world stars often perform.
