Shōgun

The History of Osaka City

The Taikō’s historical counterpart, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, built his city in the same way. By order of Hideyoshi, all the warlords built their lavish mansions to the south and west of the castle. They brought not only their families, but also many retainers and servants. This created a large population of wealthy consumers.To the west of these mansions, Hideyoshi set aside space to build a gigantic city. Merchants and artisans from around the country were invited to settle in the city, and many townspeople living nearby were forced to move to the city.Not much is known about the Osaka prison. Prisons in the Sengoku period were not located in the castles, as was often the case in medieval Europe, but in the middle of the merchant district. The purpose of this central location was not only to deter the citizens from committing crimes. The prison itself was under the jurisdiction of the townspeople, not the samurai. A medieval prison was a complex of buildings with a front gate and a public space in front of the gate where criminals were executed. Inside the complex were one or more cells surrounded by walls made entirely of heavy wooden bars. The entrance to these cells was very low, making it difficult to go in or out.Osaka was a perfect example of early urban planning. The city was divided into districts according to the occupations of its inhabitants. All streets were straight, laid out in a checkerboard pattern. The size of streets and houses was standardized, giving the city a uniform and clean appearance. It is said that 50,000 workers were employed to build 2,500 houses in only 40 days. After that, the construction of the city continued in several phases, from 1583 to 1598.All of these workers needed to be fed, resulting in a steady flow of food and building materials that fueled the city's fledgling economy. Because Osaka was centrally located at the intersection of a network of roads and rivers, the city grew steadily. To foreign visitors, the size and wealth of the city was overwhelming. After Hideyoshi's death, the city became the "kitchen of the empire" and could boast a population of 200,000, about the same as the population of London at the time.

The Jesuit Mission, built to resemble a Buddhist temple, sits in the center of Osaka. Surrounded by Japanese architecture, it is only distinguishable from the outside by the cross on its roof. Inside, however, is stuffed with Portuguese furniture and art.&nbsp;The Jesuit missionaries created a stronghold in Osaka, converting masses of peasants, preying upon their poverty, and even making their way into parts of Osaka Castle by converting influential warlords. The church has slowly amassed political power by promising salvation to those warlords adrift in the world, like Ohno, whose disease has made him hopeless, or gold to power-hungry warlords like Kiyama.

Jesuit Missions in Feudal Japan

When Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle and the surrounding city, the Christian warlord Takayama Ukon (Kiyama in Shōgun) succeeded in obtaining permission to build a Jesuit church west of the castle. The buildings of Jesuit churches in Japan have not survived, but their architectural features can be inferred from pictorial materials, written sources, and the results of archaeological surveys of church sites.The buildings were either converted from existing Buddhist temples, or if they were new, as in the case of the Jesuit church in Osaka, they were built using Japanese carpenters and following the Japanese architectural styles of Buddhist temples. This is because the Jesuits did not bring European carpenters or building materials to Japan.&nbsp;As a result, the Jesuit churches had the same features as the Buddhist temples, namely the wooden frame with white-plastered walls, the verandas surrounding the building, and the tiled roofs. They also showed an abundant use of tatami mats, fusuma (sliding doors with decorations), and shoji (sliding doors with white paper on a lattice frame).

The biggest difference with Buddhist temples was the use of a cross on the top of the roof and other decorations of cross patterns on the roof tiles. Just as we see in Shōgun, the Jesuits also brought some European furniture, such as chairs and tables, as well as many Catholic ornaments, such as pictures of Jesus and Mary, crosses, and small altars. In this way, the interior of the churches looked very exotic to the Japanese. Hosokawa Gracia (Mariko in Shōgun) is said to have been greatly impressed by the decorations of the church and a beautiful image of Jesus Christ when she secretly visited the Osaka church in 1587.

In Shōgun’s Osaka, the harbor is a crucial national trading post, hosting the famous Portuguese Black Ship. Although historically, this port was in Nagasaki, where European contact was centered, not Osaka.

Portuguese Trade in Feudal Japan

Every year, the Portuguese black ship sailed from Macao, the Portuguese base in China, to Nagasaki, a convenient port city on the western side of Kyushu Island. It lay in a bay, protected from the elements, and was close to China, much closer than Osaka. Therefore, the Portuguese would trade in Nagasaki and send their representatives to Osaka to pay their respects to the ruler and obtain permission to trade.It would have been impossible for the black ship to sail directly to Osaka. At that time, Osaka was not located on the sea, but rather a little further inland on the Yodo River. Ships coming from the sea would anchor at Denpō, a place near the mouth of the river. There, the cargo was transferred to smaller ships that sailed up the river.&nbsp;There were no ports with wharves in Japan as we know it today. Large ships anchored at a deep enough place near the shore, and all the luggage and passengers were transferred to land by small boats.

Every legend begins with a story.&nbsp;Explore the vision and artistry behind FX's Shōgun's groundbreaking series. Join host and staff writer Emily Yoshida as she sits down with the creators, cast, and crew that brought Sengoku Era Japan to life.

Osaka City | FX Shōgun Viewers Guide

The Urban Heart of Japan

The History of Osaka City

The Jesuit Mission

Jesuit Missions in Feudal Japan

Osaka Harbor

Portuguese Trade in Feudal Japan

Explore the characters of Osaka City

Toranaga

Blackthorne

Mariko

Yabushige

Omi

Ishido

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