Yagura means a watchtower equipped with an arsenal to repel enemies, and sumi-yagura indicates a specific yagura built at the corner of a castle enclosure. There are five existing yaguras of Osaka Castle. Sengan-Yagura in the picture and Inui-Yagura, both of them built in 1620, are the oldest of all the buildings of present Osaka Castle. Right after the fall of the original castle in 1615, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the new de facto ruler of Japan, initiated the reconstruction of this castle in 1620. This was planed as a crucial fortress against powerful daimyo feudal lords in Western Japan. These feudal lords were the potential enemies for Tokugawa shogunate. This yagura was built at that time, and many loopholes to fire guns are found in the thick walls. This is on the list of important cultural properties.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久
