Construction of Osaka Castle was started in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. With its five-layered castle tower, the castle was designed to fit the splendor of the metropolis that Hideyoshi aspired to create. The castle tower has been restored twice, first by the Tokugawa Shogunate at the beginning of the Edo Period (17th century) and then by the citizens of Osaka in 1931. Today it still stands tall as Osaka's symbol. [Photo courtesy of Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau.]