Osaka Castle Excavation Project

I had a nice run to Osaka Castle from my hotel this morning.  As I usually do when I go there, I ran around the moat,

then up to Tenshu, the main tower.

 A close-up of Tenshu.

Very close-up

There, I found that excavation to uncover the old castle was underway.

The original Osaka Castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who united the country to end Sengoku Period.  However, after he died, Tokugawa Ieyasu took over the ruling of the country and became Shogun.  He then destroyed Toyotomi clan and the castle.

A picture depicting Tokugawa force surrounding the castle at Seige of Osaka.

I have read in the past that the Tokugawa - the new ruler - made sure the old was completely destroyed.  The ruined castle was covered with dirt and built a new and bigger castle on top of it.  So, the one we visit today was of Tokugawa Era.

Osaka Castle of Tokugawa Era - it was burned in 1945 by air raids.

The castle of Toyotomi Era.

Now, the City of Osaka is uncovering the castle ground to find what it used to be.

The poster shows of the excavation plans - the first phase is from 8 July to 10 October.

The picture shows Tokugawa Tower on the left in comparison with Toyotomi's.

Osaka Castle had very turbulent history, but it was very peaceful this morning.