Osaka Castle

The period known as the Muromachi period (1336-1573) in Japan, led by the Ashikaga Shogunate, was one of great popular unrest. Powerful uprisings and battles were common in this era causing the warrior and fighting to become the focus of life and the determinate of ones survival, class, and position in society. Daimyos created armies and attempted to fight for land to gain more power. Armies grew larger and war technology advanced and the hunger for wealth and power increased.
In order to deal with new war technology the Japanese began to build castles. These castles are known to represent one of the best and noteworthy types of architecture in Japan. They had “moats filled with blue placid water lined by massive stone walls, and towering high above them all, lofty structures marked by white walls” (Orui, pg. 9). Castles were home to daimyo’s and warriors, acting as the center of power and defense of a particular region of the nation. The wealthier a daimyo was, the bigger his...