Facilities & Sponsored Events

• Honmaru Square Event
  A tale of stone walls connecting the distant islands of the Seto Inland Sea to Osaka Castle

  

  About one million pieces of granite are said to have been used for the stone walls of Osaka Castle. While a vast number of stones were transported from nearby Mount Rokko and Mount Ikoma and as far away as Kitakyushu, high-quality stones were quarried in Shodoshima and other Bisan islands, meaning many were brought from the islands of the Seto Inland Sea and used for the stone walls.
  This year, we have prepared a program that will allow visitors to enjoy and experience the stone walls of the castle with the cooperation of the people of Kasaoka City, Marugame City, Shodoshima/Tonosho Town, and Shodoshima Town, all of which are "stone islands" designated as Japan Heritage sites. The program includes a stone-splitting activity involving stone-cutting techniques, a stone boat-pulling activity to transport massive stones, and a performance of Kitagishima Ishikiri Uta, a song that has been passed down for generations by stonemasons since ancient times.

  Date

  Nov 9 (Sat) 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
  Nov 10 (Sun) 10:30 am - 3:00 pm

  Location

  Honmaru Square in front of Osaka

• Osaka Castle Museum Theme Exhibition
  Historical Drama in Kamigata Kabuki Prints

  

  During the Edo period, historical events were glamorously staged in Kabuki, greatly entertaining the masses. Kabuki is a beloved art form and is depicted in Nishiki-e prints. In Kamigata (an area encompassing Osaka and Kyoto), ardent Kabuki fans became Nishiki-e artists and developed a unique Kamigata-style of yakusha-e (actor prints). How did Kamigata actor prints depict historical dramas? And what kind of historical drama won the hearts of the masses? This exhibition introduces the world of historical dramas that captivated people through the fascinating Kamigata actor prints.

  
  Nakamura Fukusuke I in Taira no Atsumori, and Nakamura Utaemon IV in Kumagai Jirō Naozane (Osaka Castle Museum Collection)

  Date

  Oct 11 (Fri) - Nov 24 (Sun)

  Location

  3rd floor Exhibition Room, Osaka Castle Museum

• Osaka Castle Museum Special Exhibition
  Samurai and Their Weapons

  

  In the late Heian period, Taira no Kiyomori established the first samurai government, and from then on, the samurai ruled until the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate. During this time, not only the fighting methods but also the philosophy of the samurai and the structure of society evolved. This exhibition will explore the true nature of the samurai from the Kamakura period to the civil war period, focusing on the changes in fighting methods and military equipment.
  A naginata blade said to have belonged to Yūki Munehiro, a warrior of the Southern Court (Osaka Castle Museum Collection)

  Date

  Oct 12 (Sat) - Nov 26 (Tue)

  Location

  4th floor Exhibition Room, Osaka Castle Museum

• Osaka Castle Yagura (Turret) Special Exhibition

  

  Autumn Exhibition

  Explore the history of Osaka Castle! A rare opportunity to see the interiors of the significant cultural properties of Tamon Yagura and Sengan Yagura will be available to the public!

  Autumn exhibition period

  Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from Sep 14 (Sat) to Nov 24 (Sun)

  Time

  10:00 am - 4:30 pm (last admission 4:00 pm, ticket sales end 3:30 pm)

  Ticket

  office: Nishinomaru Garden reception

  Price

  [Turret Admission Ticket + Nishinomaru Garden Admission]
  Adults (high school students and older) 800 yen
  Children (junior high school students and younger) 300 yen
  [Castle Main Tower Set Ticket]
  Adults (high school students and older) 1,300 yen

• Osaka Castle Museum’s 93rd Anniversary

  

  Osaka Castle Museum will celebrate its 93rd anniversary on Thursday, November 7, 2024. Those who visit on this day will be given a certificate showing that they visited the museum on the day of Osaka Castle Museum’s 93rd anniversary (the anniversary of the reconstruction of Osaka Castle’s main tower where the museum is housed). In addition, a special program will be held on the night of the day of the anniversary with a colored illumination of the main tower, adding color to the celebrations for the anniversary of the restoration.

  Details about the distribution of the castle museum visiting certificates

  Distribution date and time

  Thursday, November 7, 2024, 9:00-16:30

  Number of certificates to be distributed

  8,000 (in order of entry)
  *Distribution will end when supplies run out.

  Distribution point

  Osaka Castle Museum

  Details about the colored illuminations for the special program

  Date and time

  Thursday, November 7, 2024, for 3 minutes at 19:00, 20:00, and 21:00
  *Outside the above times, the illuminations will be in the usual white.

  Illumination program

  lasting about 3 minutes. First the lights will turn off, then the lights will turn on in the following order: white, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple, cherry blossom, white.
  For more information, please visit Osaka Castle Museum website.

• 【Advance Notice】Toyotomi Period Stone Wall Exhibition Facility (tentative name)

  

  Scheduled to Open in Spring 2025

  Osaka Castle, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a base for unifying the country, was a magnificent castle that was praised as "unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms" and "the strongest in Japan," but it fell during the summer war of Osaka. Later, in rebuilding Osaka Castle, the Tokugawa Shogunate buried the old castle in the ground with mounds of earth as if to erase the authority of the Toyotomi clan. This facility will showcase a 6-meter-high underground stone wall that was uncovered during excavation. Encounter the unique allure and strength of this stone wall, distinct from the one reconstructed by Tokugawa, as well as the astonishing thickness of the piled-up earth.

• Osaka Castle Illuminage 2024-2025

  

  Osaka Historical Illumination: Welcome to the World of Shoguns and Samurai

  Date

  Nov 15 (Fri) - Feb 16, 2025 (Sun) Open every day during the period

  Time

  5:00 pm - 10:00 pm (illumination time: 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm, last admission: 9:00 pm)

  Location

  Nishinomaru Garden

  Price

  Adults 2,000 yen, Children (elementary school age and younger) 1,000 yen
  [Christmas season：Dec 21 (Sat) to 25 (Wed)]
  Adults: 3,000 yen, Children (elementary school age and younger): 1,500 yen

• Real Historical Puzzle-Solving Game:
  Mystery Castle in Osaka Castle

  

  The grandeur of the castle was hailed as unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms. Find the stone walls of the Toyotomi and Tokugawa eras!

  Date

  Oct 4 (Fri) - Jun 29, 2025 (Sun)
  *Excluding days when Nishinomaru Garden is closed

  Reception

  Nishinomaru Garden Reception Desk

  Participation fee

  1,500 yen