Before leaving Osaka we intend to visit the famous castle which played a major role in the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shoguns. The hotel is actually quite close to the castle, intentionally so, so we walk to it prior to checking out from the hotel. On the way we marvel at the many skyscrappers including one which is actually the City Police Station.
The castle has been destroyed and restored multiple times including in World War II with the latest restoration being completed in 1997. While we know this when seeing the majestic walls for the first time they look to us ancient and forever. They are huge and look impossible to conquer even though we know that unified Japan started with the conquering of the castle in the 17th century by Tokugawa Ieyasu. It also plays a large role in the Shogun book by James Clavell which is the first time we had heard about it.
We cannot see an entrance initially so we walk around following the moat until we find a bridge to enter the next level of fortifications through the massive doors. The stones to build the wall and fortifications were donated by the various daimyos and it was their responsability to ensure the walls are in good condition.
The biggest one and most impressive is the Octopus stone which is 60 square meters and weighs approximately 130 tons and was given by Tadao Ikeda the daimyo of Okayama.
The inner moat is more quaint than the outer one and it gives a more gentle impression of the walls – the outside walls look foreboding while the inner ones look more peaceful with plants decorating the walls.
We soon find the second entrance which is not in the same area as the first entrance in order to make the invading armies walk under the inner walls for a while while being bombarded from the safety of the walls.
The keep is really impressive as we view it from different angles during our approach. We are looking forward towards reaching it, no matter how much we approach it it seems to be always just slightly out of reach.
We finally reach it and even though it is a concrete reproduction it looks original from the outside to us. Inside there is a museum that we decide to visit as we still have a couple hours before we need to check out from the hotel.
The museum is mostly focused on the history of the castle and of the shoguns that lived here. It is interesting especially for us as we learn about battles and the complicated relationships of the different leaders of that era.
One of the attractions is the view from the top of the castle which is panoramic with a view of the park and the further of the skyline of Osaka.
And the golden fishes are also quite interesting. They aren’t really golden fishes but Shachi a sea monster with the head of a dragon or tiger and the body of the carp which are supposed to live in the cold northern ocean.
After exiting the keep we hurry back to the hotel while taking a different route that we discover. It takes us past some art installations and old statues but is not really more direct than the initial route we have taken.
This is true especially because after crossing the first moat we have to walk a long way before finding a bridge over the exterior moat, there aren’t as many as we expected and our GPS led us astray. But at least we find a couple cormorants, birds are always welcome.
When we are outside the castle walls we start hurrying towards the hotel as the time is really short. In the end we make it back with 10 minutes to spare, victory, now it is time to pick up the car and continue to our next destination, Nara.
