Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Osaka Castle
Toyotomi Hideyoshi built the first Osaka Castle, from 1583, as his base for ruling Japan. He died in 1598, and his son Hideyori lost the castle to Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1615. Almost nothing of Hideyoshi's castle stands above ground today, but the Main Tower is a museum of his life, and his walls survive underground.
Hideyoshi and Osaka Castle in 12 dates
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1583 | Hideyoshi begins building Osaka Castle as his base for ruling Japan. It takes about 15 years |
| 1598 | Hideyoshi dies. His son Hideyori and Hideyori's mother Yodo-dono hold the castle |
| 1614 | Tokugawa Ieyasu attacks: the Winter Campaign of the Siege of Osaka |
| 1615 | The Summer Campaign. The castle falls and burns on May 7. Hideyori and Yodo-dono die the next day, and the Toyotomi family ends |
| 1620 | The Tokugawa begin a new castle, burying Hideyoshi's under about 6 meters of earth to erase the Toyotomi's authority |
| 1880 | Hokoku Shrine, the shrine of Hideyoshi, is founded at Nakanoshima |
| 1903 | A statue of Hideyoshi goes up inside the castle. It is melted down for metal in 1943 |
| 1931 | The present Main Tower is built. It is the third tower on the spot |
| 1961 | Hokoku Shrine moves into the castle grounds |
| 1984 | An excavation uncovers a wall of Hideyoshi's castle |
| 2007 | The statue of Hideyoshi at Hokoku Shrine is made again from photographs of the original |
| 2025 | The Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum opens on April 1 |
Who lived in Osaka Castle?
The Toyotomi, 1583 to 1615. Hideyoshi's inner citadel had three levels. The top level, the Tsume-no-maru, held the private quarters of Hideyoshi, his wife, his son Hideyori and Hideyori's mother Yodo-dono. After Hideyoshi died in 1598, Hideyori and Yodo-dono held the castle until it fell.
The Tokugawa, 1620 to 1868. The shogun ruled from Edo, and Osaka Castle was run by an official called the Osaka Jodai. He lived and worked in a residence in the west bailey, the second-largest palace in the castle. Its site is in today's Nishinomaru Garden. Nishinomaru Garden
The last shoguns, 1860s. In 1866 the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, directed a war against the Choshu domain from the castle, and died that summer. The last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, received Western envoys here in 1867 and left in January 1868, days before the castle burned. The end of the samurai era
After 1868 the castle became an army base. Nobody lives in it today: the Main Tower is a museum. World War II sites
Who lived in Osaka Castle: the full story, from the temple before the castle to the army
Is anything left of Hideyoshi's castle?
Above ground, no. The stone walls and moats you walk past are Tokugawa work from 1620, and the Main Tower dates from 1931. Hideyoshi's castle lies under them.
You can see part of it at the Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum, 2 minutes southeast of the Main Tower: a wall of rough, barely shaped stones from the top of his inner citadel, some still scorched by the fire of 1615. Your Main Tower ticket gets you in. Two more pieces can be seen from the street, at the Dawn Center and at Otemon Gakuin Elementary School, west of the castle. Stone walls walk
Where to find Hideyoshi today
1 Hokoku Shrine · 2 Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum · 3 Main Tower · 4 Where Hideyori and Yodo-dono are said to have died. Tap a number for walking directions.
1. Hokoku Shrine
Hideyoshi's shrine, in front of Sakuramon Gate, honors him with his son Hideyori and his brother Hidenaga. The bronze statue at the entrance is 5.2 meters tall. Hideyoshi's emblem was the gourd, and many of the charms use it. People pray here for success, since he rose from a farmer's son to rule Japan. Free, open at any time. Hokoku Shrine
2. Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum
The wall of Hideyoshi's castle, found in 1984, with an illustration of how his inner citadel looked. Stone Wall Museum
3. Main Tower
- 7th floor: Hideyoshi's life in 19 scenes with moving figures, from his rise to the unification of Japan.
- 5th floor: the Summer Siege of 1615, from a painted folding screen, and a video of the castle under Hideyoshi.
- 4th floor: original objects from his era, changed every two months, such as a letter he wrote to his young son and a portrait said to be by Kano Mitsunobu. No photos.
- 3rd floor: a full-size copy of his Golden Tea Room, which could be taken apart and moved, and models of his castle and the Tokugawa castle side by side. No photos.
- 1st floor: short films about Hideyoshi and Osaka Castle, with English subtitles.
Floor-by-floor guide · Tickets
4. Yamazato-maru
North of the Main Tower, a stone marks where Hideyori and Yodo-dono are said to have died in 1615. The Siege of Osaka
Hideyoshi at night this winter
The 2026–27 Osaka Castle Illuminage in Nishinomaru Garden tells Hideyoshi's story in light, from November 20, 2026 to February 14, 2027. Osaka Castle at night
Questions
Who lived in Osaka Castle?
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, his wife, his son Hideyori and Hideyori's mother Yodo-dono, in the private quarters at the top of the inner citadel. Hideyori and Yodo-dono held the castle after Hideyoshi died in 1598, until it fell in 1615. In the Tokugawa period the castle was run by a shogunate official, the Osaka Jodai, who lived in a residence in what is now Nishinomaru Garden. In the 1860s the shoguns Tokugawa Iemochi and Tokugawa Yoshinobu used the castle as a base.
Did Hideyoshi build the Osaka Castle you see today?
No. Hideyoshi's castle burned when it fell in 1615, and from 1620 the Tokugawa buried it under about 6 meters of earth and built a new castle on top. Every stone wall in the park is Tokugawa work, and the Main Tower is a 1931 rebuild. A wall of Hideyoshi's castle can be seen at the Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum.
When did Hideyoshi build Osaka Castle?
He began in 1583, as his base for ruling Japan. The work took about 15 years, and the castle grounds were four to five times the size of today's.
When did Hideyoshi die?
In 1598. Hokoku Shrine in the castle grounds holds its main festival, the Taiko-sai, on August 18, the anniversary of his death.
What happened to Hideyoshi's family?
Tokugawa Ieyasu attacked Osaka Castle in 1614 and 1615. The castle fell on May 7, 1615, and on May 8 Hideyori and Yodo-dono took their own lives, ending the Toyotomi family. A stone in the Yamazato-maru, north of the Main Tower, marks the place where they are said to have died.
Where can I see things linked to Hideyoshi at Osaka Castle?
Inside the Main Tower: his life in 19 scenes on the 7th floor, a full-size copy of his Golden Tea Room on the 3rd, and original objects on the 4th. Outside: his buried wall at the Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum, and his shrine and statue at Hokoku Shrine.
Written by Kyoya Fujioka. Facts come from the Osaka Castle Museum leaflet (issued April 1, 2026), the Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum English leaflet, the Osaka Castle Museum maps of related sites (issued May 2026), the Osaka Castle Park pages on the historic sites in the park, and the official Hokoku Shrine website.