The Takoishi at Osaka Castle is roughly 5.5×11.7 meters and estimated at 108 tons — one of the largest single stones in any Japanese castle wall. Named for a tiny octopus-like carving, it was placed in 1624 during the Tokugawa reconstruction meant to erase Toyotomi legacy. It also bears markings resembling those on other regional megaliths. 🐙
Osaka Castle's 130-ton Takoishi Octopus Stone exposes megalithic features
JapanArchitecture
Key facts
- The Takoishi (Octopus Stone) measures roughly 5.5 by 12 meters and is estimated at approximately 130 tons
- It is one of the largest single stones used in any castle wall in Japan
- Named for a small octopus-like carving in the bottom corner
- The wall section was built in 1624 as part of the Tokugawa reconstruction project (1620-1628) designed to erase the Toyotomi legacy
- The stone displays markings similar to those found on other megaliths across the region
- Original Osaka Castle construction finished in 1597, fell to Tokugawa in 1615
Site mentioned
Sources
Osaka Castle's Mysterious Giant Stonesmuza-chan.net
Tako-ishi, the "Octopus Stone", the largest stone in the Osaka Castle, measuring over 59 square meters in surface area, 108 tons in weight, ...
The Stone Walls of Osaka Castle | October 2021gov-online.go.jp
It is 5.5 meters high, 11.7 meters wide and weighs about 108 tons. The stone wall on the east side of the central core is 34 meters high measuring , “The wall ...
Osaka Castleen.wikipedia.org
Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of ...
Famous Castles in Japan - NIPPONIAweb-japan.org
One of the huge boulders for the main enclosure wall is 5.8 m tall and 14 m wide (it is called tako-ishi ). The castle was burned in 1615 when the Toyotomi ...
Osaka Castle: Japan's Most Visited Castlenippon.com
The tako ishi inside the Sakuramon Gate is Osaka Castle's largest, with a surface area of roughly 60 square meters and weighing an estimated ...
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