Hokoku Shrine: the shrine of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
The shrine with the big statue of Hideyoshi, right in front of Sakuramon Gate. Most people pass it on the way to the Main Tower. It is worth five minutes.
Hokoku Shrine (Hōkoku Jinja) honors Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the man who built the first Osaka Castle, along with his son Hideyori and his brother Hidenaga. There is no ticket. The grounds are open at any time.
The basics
| Where | Directly in front of Sakuramon Gate, on the way from the Otemon side to the Main Tower. See it on the map |
| Grounds | Open at any time. No ticket. |
| Shrine office | 9:00 to 16:50, for charms, fortunes (omikuji) and goshuin stamps |
| Enshrined | Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyori and Hidenaga |
| Founded | 1880, at Nakanoshima. Moved here in 1961. |
The statue of Hideyoshi
The bronze statue near the entrance is 5.2 meters tall, a 3.2 meter figure on a 2 meter base. The first statue went up inside Osaka Castle in 1903. It was taken away and melted for metal during the war in 1943. The one you see today was made again in 2007 from photographs of the original.
Charms for success
Hideyoshi was born a farmer's son and rose to rule Japan, so people come here to pray for success at work and in life. His emblem was the gourd (hyōtan), and many of the shrine's charms use it.
- Gourd charms for getting ahead, including a golden gourd
- Money luck charms in four designs: gourd, beckoning cat, turtle and war fan
- Work, job hunting, business and victory charms
The shrine sells charms only at its own office. It warns that it does not sell them online, even though some websites claim to. Prices are not listed on the official site; we will add them after our next visit.
Festivals
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year festival |
| July 18 | Summer festival |
| August 18 | Taikō-sai, the main festival, on the anniversary of Hideyoshi's death in 1598 |
How the shrine came to the castle
In 1868 the Meiji Emperor, visiting Osaka, ordered that Hideyoshi be honored in the city. The shrine was founded in 1880 at Nakanoshima, where Osaka City Central Public Hall stands today, as a branch of Toyokuni Shrine in Kyoto. In 1912 it moved to where Osaka City Hall now stands, and in 1920 it became a shrine in its own right, separate from the Kyoto shrine. In January 1961 it moved to its present spot inside the castle grounds.
One thing stayed behind. A monument to Kimura Shigenari, a Toyotomi general killed in the Summer Siege of 1615, was set up in the shrine's old grounds in 1896. It still stands at Nakanoshima, near the Museum of Oriental Ceramics.
There are steps on the grounds, so wheelchair users may need help.
Questions
Is Hokoku Shrine free?
There is no entrance gate or ticket. The grounds are open at any time, so you can walk through on your way to the Main Tower.
What are the hours of Hokoku Shrine in Osaka?
The grounds are open at any time. The shrine office, where you get charms, fortunes and goshuin stamps, is open 9:00 to 16:50.
Can I get a goshuin at Hokoku Shrine?
Yes, at the shrine office from 9:00 to 16:50. The shrine also has its own goshuin book.
Who is enshrined at Hokoku Shrine?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who built the first Osaka Castle, his son Hideyori and his brother Hidenaga.
Is the Hokoku Shrine in Osaka the same as the one in Kyoto?
No. The Osaka shrine was founded in 1880 as a branch of Toyokuni Shrine in Kyoto. They are separate shrines with their own charms, stamps and prices.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Osaka Castle
Written by Kyoya Fujioka. Facts come from the official Hokoku Shrine website (in Japanese) and the Osaka Castle Museum maps of related sites (issued May 2026).