Culture council eyes Osaka Castle’s main tower as important cultural property

The Cultural Affairs Council has recommended that eight buildings, including the main keep of Osaka Castle, be designated Important Cultural Properties.

The council submitted the recommendation to culture minister Yoshihiro Seki on Friday. The designations are expected to be officially announced in the near future, bringing the total number of buildings designated Important Cultural Properties to 2,619, including 235 National Treasures.

Other buildings recommended for designation include four structures at Zuisenji temple in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture; the Hatto, or Dharma Hall, at Kenninji temple in Kyoto; and the main building of the Nara Hotel in Nara.

Osaka Castle’s main keep was built in the early Showa Era (1926-1989) to recreate the appearance of the castle from the time of warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The main keep is a museum built of steel-reinforced concrete. It has five external tiers and eight floors. The current structure was completed in 1931 through donations from local residents and is based on historical research into the original castle.

The museum displays items associated with Hideyoshi and other historical exhibits. Visitors can also enjoy panoramic views of Osaka from an observation deck on the eighth floor.

The original main keep, built during Hideyoshi’s time, was destroyed by fire in 1615 during the Summer Siege of Osaka. A second tower, rebuilt by the Tokugawa shogunate, was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1665.

The current tower is the third to stand at the site. Its design as a local history museum with an observation deck influenced the reconstruction of castle towers across Japan.

The council also recommended designating the Yoshihara district in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

The former fishing town is lined with traditional townhouses dating from the final years of the Edo Period (1603-1867) through the mid-Showa Era.

If approved, the designation would bring the number of such districts nationwide to 131.