Tamon Yagura of Osaka Castle: The guardian of Osaka Castle, which withstood the turbulent period at the end of the Edo period, the great fires of the Meiji Restoration, and the air raids of World War II.

Tamon Yagura

Tamon Yagura(japanese: 多聞櫓) is a turret that forms the square shape of Osaka Castle Otemon. It is one of the turrets that cannot be visited throughout the year, but can be visited for a limited time every year as a special public open house.

Tamon Yagura was built in 1628 as a result of reconstruction work by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and was destroyed by lightning in 1783, but was rebuilt in 1848. During the turbulent period at the end of the Edo period, generals such as Tokugawa Iemochi and Tokugawa Yoshinobu passed through this tower to patrol the castle grounds. It also survived the great fires of the Meiji Restoration and the air raids of World War II, and its imposing stance is 17.7 meters high, making it the largest tower of its kind in existence around the country.

Tamon Yagura consists of Watari Yagura with a turret gate and an adjoining Tsuzuki Yagura, with a total building area of approximately 710.25 square meters. The area is approximately the size of 2.7 tennis courts.

Tamon Yagura Entrance

The entrance to Tamon Yagura is located next to the Yagura Gate. However, you can only enter from the grounds of Nishinomaru Garden, so you cannot access Tamon Yagura from the Yagura Gate.

Watari Yagura

Watari Yagura(japanese: 渡櫓) is a turret equipped with a turret gate. There are 4 rooms in total, and the center area is about 70 tatami mats.

At Watari Yagura, parts of old turrets that were no longer used during the restoration of Tamon Yagura and Sengan Yagura are on display. (parts from around 1620, 1668, and 1848)

Yari-otoshi

Tamon Yagura was built for defense purposes. It formed a Masugata with the Otemon Gate, and was responsible for repelling enemies who invaded through the Otemon Gate. Therefore, there is a “Yari-otoshi(japanese: 槍落とし)” to attack the enemy.

Through this hole, spears and rocks are dropped to repel enemies who have crossed the main gate.

Tsuzuki Yagura

Connected to Watari Yagura is Tsuzuki Yagura(japanese: 続櫓).

Musha-bashiri

The most distinctive feature of Tsuzuki Yagura is the long corridor called “Musha-bashiri(japanese: 武者走り)”. It is built for soldiers to attack with guns from here.

When you look out the window, you can see the enemy that has just passed through the main gate.

Kasaishi-Jugan

In addition to aiming at enemies outside through the windows, the soldiers on the lower row also put their guns into these holes called “Kasaishi-Jugan(japanese: 笠石銃眼)” and fire to repel enemies outside.

Mushadamari

The inside of the Tsuzuki Yagura is much larger than you might think from the outside, and can accommodate a large number of soldiers. The room where soldiers waited was called “Mushadamari(japanese: 武者溜)”.

There are 6 rooms in total, each measuring 12 tatami, 15 tatami, 9 tatami, 12 tatami, 9 tatami, and 9 tatami.

The guardian of Osaka Castle, passed down through time

A dignified figure guarding the main entrance of Osaka Castle. That is Tamon Yagura. Even after more than 400 years, it still stands tall and powerful, and can be said to be a symbol of Osaka Castle’s history.

It withstood the turbulent period at the end of the Edo period, the great fires of the Meiji Restoration, and the air raids of World War II. Its sturdy appearance shows pride as a guardian of the castle over time. Historical figures such as Tokugawa Iemochi and Tokugawa Yoshinobu have also left their mark. We can now feel the path they took. It is also a valuable relic that allows us to remember the state of war at the time, such as Kasaishi-Jugan and Musha-bashiri.

When you visit Osaka Castle, be sure to visit Tamon Yagura.