Air-Raid Damage to Stone Wall
On August 14, 1945, the day before Japan formally surrendered World War II, the United States conducted what would be a final bombing raid on Osaka. As a military installation surrounded by munitions factories, the castle was a prime target. It was likely on this day that a one-ton bomb exploded beside the main tower on the northeastern side, leaving damage that can still be seen today. The blast buckled the stone foundations but fortunately spared the building itself. Concrete and steel supports were added inside the foundations when the main tower was reconstructed in 1931, and the damaged stone no longer poses a danger to the structure above.