Ote gate (大手門; Ōte-Mon), the front gate of Osaka Castle (大坂城; 大阪城; Ōsaka-jō). The gate was originally constructed in 1628 as part of the castle improvements and reconstruction ordered by the Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. Ōte-Mon was built with thick iron doors to prevent damage from weapons, and has been designated an Important Cultural Asset of Japan.
Osaka Castle was originally constructed in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi on the previous site of Ishiyama Hongan-ji, which was destroyed in by Toyotomi's predecessor Oda Nobunaga in 1580. In 1614 the castle was attacked by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had the outer moat filled in. Later in 1615 Tokugawa returned and took the castle.
In 1620 Tokugawa Hidetada, the successor to Tokugawa Ieyasu, began to reconstruct Osaka Castle. The large stone block walls of the castle date from this period. By 1843 the castle had fallen into disrepair, and repairs were carried out using money collected from the people of the region.
During the Meiji restoration in 1868 the castle fell to the Imperial forces, and was converted to a military barracks by the new government. Due to its military use it was targeted by American air raids during World War II and suffered heavy damage. Since the war some buildings have been restored, and the castle is today a popular tourist attraction.
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