When I visited Hōkoku Shrine in Osaka Castle Park, I found pretty small shrines on its premises. The small torii gates standing in the corner of Hōkoku Shrine seemed as though they were inviting me. Allured, I stepped through and explored the area. It turned out that one of the shrines was originally built 400 years ago by a wealthy merchant in Osaka who did business for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the king of Japan, who built the original Osaka Castle! Also, I found a cherry tree called 'Yukimura Zakura (Sakura)' in a bush near the small shrines. A famous samurai in the Sengoku period, Sanada Yukimura, fought for Toyotomi Clan against the Tokugawa army. Although Toyotomi lost the war and Osaka Castle was burnt down with them, Sanada Yukimura, for his audacity to challenge the powerful Tokugawa Ieyasu, was still very popular among the local people in Osaka. The cherry tree was donated by the city of Ueda, the hometown of Sanada Yukimura.
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Small Shrines inside Hōkoku Shrine
Don't miss the pretty shrines and Yukimura Sakura!
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