As the military base of the then central government in Edo, present Tokyo, Osaka Castle was equipped with two explosives warehouses for a variety of guns. This castle was critical to command Western Japan. However one of them fiercely exploded because of a lightning strike, and the other one, semi-underground structure, was subject to decay. It was not easy to keep the gunpowder safely for a long time at that time. Thus, the new warehouse was built in stone in 1685. This new one in the picture is fireproof, durable and waterproof. All the parts of this warehouse are made of granite and the wall is some 2.4 meters thick. This is the one and only super-stout stone building in Japan, and was carefully plastered between the wall stones to make waterproof as the inside, an area of 172 square meters, was packed with gunpowder. In this connection, when the old warehouse exploded, more than 1,400 private houses out of the castle were damaged by it. This unique warehouse is one of the important cultural assets in the castle ground.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久。
