In the area Tyuoku, the heart of Osaka, is located five-story castle with white walls and green roof, three floors it goes underground. History of Osaka Castle began in 1496, when at this place the monk Ren-Nyo built for their own privacy small Buddhist temple called Ishiyama Hongan-ji, but was soon began to gather followers and the church has evolved into a monastery belonging to the militant School Clean water. Monastery for many years was under siege for 11-year war waged by the ruler of Oda Nobunaga. When in 1580 the monks forced to surrender, they set fire to the monastery, so that he is not got the winner.

In 1583 this place started to build his new residence is another ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi .  He ordered each of the feudal lord, the daimyo provide for construction materials and labor, thereby making it clear that they erected the castle should be mainly in the country .  We worked on the construction of up to 30 thousand people a day .  From all over the country and from all around the construction site to the hauled stones, including a gigantic, even in the case were the stones of the walls and foundations of nearby monasteries and gravestones .  One of the giant stones weighed 140 tons and was taken from the island of Kyushu, in the province of Buzen Province .  Another giant weighed 130 tons and came from the island of Shodo .  For greater strength stones cemented with molten lead .  Two years later it was built the main tower of the castle, and a year after construction was completed .  The castle complex occupied an area of ​​about 8 square meters .  kilometers .  The height of the main tower of 58 meters .  Well-fortified and seemingly impregnable castle also had a space intended for receiving distinguished guests, of feasts and tea ceremonies .

In 1614, the castle was besieged by the 200 thousandth army of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, but withstood the onslaught. Ieyasu seized the castle at the second attempt, undertaken in 1615. The then owner of the castle Hideёri son Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his mother instead of the disgraceful defeat chose suicide (in the place of their death a memorial sign), and the castle was destroyed.

In 1620, by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu's castle rebuilt, but in 1665 its main tower burned down after a lightning strike, therefore, again followed by the restoration work. After another fire that occurred even during the Meiji Restoration of 1868, on the site of the castle remained largely ruins, and the surviving buildings have been turned into barracks. Renovated in 1931, the castle was destroyed again during the Second World War, and his next restoration was carried out only at the end of the XX century. Castle Square has decreased eight-fold and is only 1 square. kilometer, and the reconstructed main tower is now a museum.