大阪城天守閣
Osaka Castle Tower Museum
Overview
Osaka Castle's reconstructed tower (1931) houses a major history museum displaying arms, armor, and swords connected to Toyotomi Hideyoshi — Japan's great unifier who built the original castle in 1583 — and to the Osaka Campaigns (1614–15), the last great castle siege of the sword era. The museum documents the 'Osaka Shintō' sword tradition — the school of Edo-period master smiths including Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro and Inoue Shinkai who worked in the great commercial capital of Osaka and produced some of the finest Shintō-period blades. The castle is Japan's most visited historical monument, receiving over 2 million visitors annually.
Highlights
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi's arms and swords — the spectacular Momoyama warrior culture of Japan's great unifier, whose castle and sword-collecting ambitions were unmatched
- Osaka Campaigns (Osaka no Jin) weapons — armor and swords from the last great castle siege of Japanese history, connecting to Sanada Yukimura and the 'Five Men of Osaka'
- Osaka Shintō school swords — Sukehiro, Shinkai, and the remarkable Edo-period blade masters who worked in Osaka and produced some of the finest Shintō swords
- Complex Toyotomi-Tokugawa castle history — the layers of political and architectural history embedded in one of Japan's most visited historical sites
- Most visited historical monument in Japan — over 2 million annual visitors, with excellent multilingual resources and nearby Osaka History Museum
* Opening hours and exhibitions are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.
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