Sakuramon Gate is the grand southern entrance to Osaka Castle’s inner bailey. It was destroyed in the Boshin War and rebuilt in 1887 in Tokugawa-period style. Its masugata courtyard contains the Takoishi (Octopus Stone) — the largest stone in Osaka Castle at approximately 108 tons and 59㎡, transported from Bizen Province in 1624. Flanking the gate entrance stand the Dragon Stone and Tiger Stone, traditionally said to reveal their figures when wet with rain.

The Ginmeisui well curb originally stood near the northeast corner of the Honmaru palace kitchen and is thought to have supplied drinking water for officials guarding the inner bailey. It was relocated to its current position in 1931 during the Main Tower reconstruction. The surviving stone curb and surrounding granite paving remain fine examples of Tokugawa-period stonemasonry.

Inside the Sakuramon masugata lies the full collection of Osaka Castle’s most famous stones. The Takoishi (~108 tons, ~59㎡) is the largest stone in the castle; the Furisode-ishi (~54㎡) is the third-largest. Both were installed in 1624 under Ikeda Tadakatsu. The Ryū-ishi (Dragon Stone) and Tora-ishi (Tiger Stone) flank the gate and are traditionally said to reveal their figures on wet stone surfaces. These stones reinforced the castle’s defences while also proclaiming Tokugawa power to all who entered.

This towering camphor tree is popularly known as the “Camphor Tree Planted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.” However, the tree now standing here was actually planted in March 1898 by Mataji Ogawa, then commander of the Imperial Japanese Army’s 4th Division. The site is a good example of how legend and modern commemorative memory overlap at Osaka Castle.

The Kinzo (Gold Storehouse) was built by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1751 to store gold and silver coins. Originally two-story, it was remodeled into single-story form in 1837. Its distinctive namako-kabe (sea cucumber wall) plasterwork — alternating black tiles and white seams — is both visually elegant and fire-resistant. It is designated an Important Cultural Property.

This museum displays stone walls from Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Osaka Castle. The buried walls were first discovered during excavations in 1984, and the Osaka Castle Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum opened in 2025. After the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, the Tokugawa shogunate buried Toyotomi Osaka Castle under massive fill and rebuilt the castle above it. Visitors can go underground to view the exposed stone wall of the tsumenomaru through glass and multilingual displays.

The Zannen-ishi (Regret Stones) are massive stones quarried and transported for the Tokugawa reconstruction but never used. Around 80 similar stones are displayed in the nearby Kokuin-ishi Hiroba (Inscribed Stones Plaza). Among the displayed examples are stones bearing the crests of major domains such as the Kuroda and Hosokawa families.

The Kinmeisui Well House sits on the small keep platform and protected a vital emergency water source for the castle. Dismantling repair in 1969 clarified that the structure was built in 1626. The well is approximately 33 metres deep, an impressive feat given its elevated position on the platform.

The Osaka Castle Main Tower is the iconic symbol of Osaka — the third iteration of the keep, reconstructed in 1931 using public donations from Osaka citizens. It functions as an 8-floor museum covering the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the castle’s history. The exterior is modeled on the opulent Toyotomi-era keep. The building was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 1997 and designated an Osaka City Tangible Cultural Property in 2025.