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nanoniwa

3-65 Babamachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0007, Japan

Nearest Station

1 minute walk from Exit 9 of "Tanimachi 4-chome" station on Osaka Metro Tanimachi and Chuo lines.
15 min. walk from Exit 1 of Morinomiya Station on Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line.
15 minutes walk from the North Exit ticket gates of Morinomiya Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line.

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Let's Enjoy the Garden for Everyone!



You can use Naniwanomiya in a variety of ways,
including daily walks and play, as well as civic activities and events.

  • at Naniwa Palace Site Park Let's spend time
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Naniwanomiya Discovery Map

The area where "Nanoniwa" is located is the site of the former capital, which was also the scene of the Taika Reformation, and is in the Naniwa Palace Site Park, with Osaka Castle in front of it, Even today, it is a town where writers, craftsmen, and artists who transmit culture, food, and art to Japan and the world gather. Rediscover the charm of the Naniwanomiya area through the stories of these wonderful "townspeople" who are based in this area.

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This site uses machine translation.
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History of Naniwanomiya

Naniwanomiya Palace, the hub of ancient Japan.
It is the starting point of the history
that continues to current Osaka,
where emperors resided and international exchange was fostered.

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  • Naniwa Palace,
    the excavated ancient
    capital

    The Former Naniwa Palace, Japan’s first real palace (Asuka period) [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    A large-scale warehouse complex (Hoenzaka Site) was in operation during the Kofun period (5th century), developing as a base for trade and exchange with the support of the international port of the Naniwa Port, in the northernmost part of the Uemachi Upland, which extends north-south through the center of Osaka City. Later, two palaces were built: the Former Naniwa Palace and the Latter Naniwa Palace, from the Asuka period (7th century) through the Nara period (8th century). The northern side of the central palace contained the Imperial Domicile, to the south of which were the central areas for important ceremonies and political affairs of the state, such as the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the State Halls Compound. The western and eastern sides were government offices. In the Former Naniwa Palace, all the buildings had constructed with pillars enbedded directly in the ground and boarded roofs. It is thought to have been Naniwanonagaranotoyosakinomiya, Japan’s first full-scale palace, built after the capital’s relocation to Naniwa during the Taika Reform (645). The Latter Naniwa Palace was built by order of Emperor Shomu from the 3rd year of the Jinki era (726) in the Nara period. The main buildings of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the State Halls Compound were built on foundation and cornerstones, the roofs were made with eaves tile with concentric pattern and other tiles. It was designated as the capital for a time in the 16th year of the Tenpyo era (744).

    The Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace and the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile that is the center

    Excavation of the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile (1963)

    The protected Naniwa Palace Site

    The excavation of the Naniwa Palace Site was carried out in 1954 centering on Prof.Tokutaro Yamane (1889-1973), who retired from Osaka City University, yielding many academic results. This coincided with the period of high economic growth, making it exceedingly difficult to preserve the site in the center of a metropolis like Osaka. Prof.Yamane persistently kept a preservation campaign going, leading to the large area you see today being designated and preserved as a national historic site. There are few other archaeological sites in Japan that have been preserved on such a large scale in the center of a large city. The Naniwa Palace Site is groundbreaking not only because of its historical importance, but also in terms of preservation.

    Prof. Tokutaro Yamane standing at the excavation site

  • Imperial Domicile
    The space where the emperor lived and conducted
    government affairs

    Excavations since 1954 have revealed that palaces of two periods, the Former Naniwa Palace and the Latter Naniwa Palace, which were built from the Asuka period (7th century) through the Nara period (8th century) in an area centering on Hoenzaka in Chuo Ward. The remains of the Imperial Domicile for both palaces have been found north of the Hanshin Expressway (Chuo-odori). The Imperial Domicile was located on the northern side of the palace’s center and was the site of the emperor’s daily life as well as his handling of government affairs. To the south lay the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the State Halls Compound, which were public sites for important ceremonies and events of the state. The Imperial Domicile was structured as a building at the center of a formal space separated by corridors and fences. On the northern side was a section where the emperor spent his daily life as well as ancillary facilities.

  • The Main Hall of
    the Imperial Domicile of
    the Latter Naniwa Palace

    View of the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace from the west [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    In the Latter Naniwa Palace, the central building of the Imperial Domicile was the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile. Excavations revealed that the front was 26.9 m and the depth was 11.9 m. While the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the State Halls Compound used a Chinese architectural style, with foundations, cornerstones, and tiled roofs, the Imperial Domicile had a Japanese traditional architectural style with constructed with pillars embedded directly in the ground and roofs made from boards or cypress bark. The central Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile is thought to have used highly formal architecture with a raised-platform style of construction, narrow aisles on all four sides, rims and balustrades, and hipped and gabled roof construction.

    The Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace and the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile that is the center

    Excavation of the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile (1963)

    Front view of the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile (Source: Quarterly Obayashi No. 31)

  • The central parts of
    the Latter Naniwa Palace
    the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and
    the State Halls Compound
    extending to the south of the Imperial Domicile

    View of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the State Halls Compound from the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Located at the heart of the palace, the Imperial Domicile was where the emperor lived his daily life and conducted government affairs. The center of this was the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile. It followed a Japanese traditional architectural style using highly formal architecture with a raised-platform style of construction with constructed with pillars embedded directly in the ground, narrow aisles on all four sides, rims and balustrades, and hipped and gabled roof construction. To the south of the Imperial Domicile were the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the State Halls Compound. Important state ceremonies and official events were held here, with the Imperial Audience Hall being the most important building as that was where the emperor attended. The center of the State Halls Compound had square where nobles and bureaucrats lined up, with the buildings where they sat (State Halls) on both sides.

    Visualized reproduction of a ceremony held in the State Halls Compound

    Expressway with canceled overhead structure

    Around 1970, the plan was to construct the Chuo-odori and the Hanshin Expressway as Osaka’s main east-west highway through the center of Naniwa Palace. During the excavation, many important remains were discovered at the planned construction site, including the Front Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile, which had been the central building of the Former Naniwa Palace and corresponded to the later Imperial Audience Hall, which led to changes in the expressway plans, opting for a structure on the ground instead of an elevated structure that destroys the underground. As a result, not only was it possible to preserve the remains, but it was also possible to maintain a sense of visual unity for the central parts of Naniwa Palace, meaning the Imperial Domicile, the Imperial Audience Hall, and the State Halls Compound, thereby preserving view as a whole.

    Excavation before the construction of the Hanshin Expressway (1977)

  • Corridors delineating
    the Imperial Domicile

    The structure of the Imperial Domicile was the same for both the Former and the Latter Naniwa Palaces,with the central building placed in a formal space separated from the surroundings by corridors and fences. On the northern side was a section where the emperor spent his daily life as well as ancillary facilities. To make it easier to recognize the extent of the Imperial Domicile, the positions of the corridors and fences separating it from the surroundings were indicated with the pavement of the park paths. Red represents the the Former Naniwa Palace and black-gray the Latter Naniwa Palace. Corridors have a structure called a compound corridor with pillars arranged in three rows, the spacing between the pillars being about 2.9 m in the purlin direction (long side) and about 2.0 m in the beam direction (short side) for the the Former Naniwa Palace. It is about 3.0 m in the purlin direction and about 2.4 m in the beam direction for the Latter Naniwa Palace. Circles of slightly different shades indicate pillar positions. The Western corridor of the Imperial Domicile extended north and south in front of here, while the Eastern corridor of the Imperial Domicile was located about 180 m east, with the Imperial Domicile being in the space between the two.

    Western corridor and outer fence of the Imperial Domicile of the the Former Naniwa Palace

    Western corridor and outer corridor of the Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

  • The north side of
    the central Imperial Domicile
    where excavation is underway

    The Imperial Domicile was structured as a formal space delineated by corridors and fences. Excavations have revealed that the northern side of the building. It is speculated that the southern side was mainly used for government affairs, while the northern side was a private space. The two sides were separated by the corridor on the north side of the Rear Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile, which extended east from here and became fences at both ends. The fences were compartmental facilities consisting of one row of pillars, while corridors were doubled with three rows of pillars. The pillars in the center of the compound corridor were separated by walls, with the pillars on either side being wide open so as to allow people to come and go.

    Cross-sectional configuration of the Former Naniwa Palace’s compound corridor and fence

    Excavation (March 2023 / photo: Shimadagumi Co., Ltd.)

  • Roof tiles preserved
    in the basement
    Corridor of outer area of the Imperial Domicile
    of the Latter Naniwa Palace

    Excavation of roof tiles seen from the west (1961)

    Further outside the corridors surrounding the Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace, the remains of a corridor that delineated the periphery of the Imperial Domicile were found. There were two rows of pillars, but it is thought that it was not a common single corridor, but a somewhat special structure with a roofed earthen wall. On the east side of this corridor, tiles from the roof were excavated upside down instead of in their usual positions. It is presumed that the roof did not slide off but that the building collapsed in such a way that the roof was turned inside out. These remains of collapsed roof tiles had been preserved underground since their excavation treatment in 1961, following conservation work covering an area of about 10 m north-south. In 2015, another excavation was carried out to confirm that the condition remained good.

    The roof was reconstructed using eaves tiles with concentric pattern

    Western corridor and outer corridor of the Imperial Domicile from the inside of the Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Preservation treatment of excavated roof tiles (1961)

  • The corridors and gates
    around the Imperial Domicile

    The structure of the Imperial Domicile was the same for both the Former and the Latter Naniwa Palaces, with a formal space separated from the surroundings by corridors and fences. As a way to indicate the borders, the pavement of the park paths are red for the Former Naniwa Palace and black-gray for the Latter Naniwa Palace. Circles of slightly different shades in the corridors indicate pillar positions. The corridors of the Former Naniwa Palace turn eastward here and become wider. There was a gate to enter the Imperial Domicile. To the east of the gate, the corridor turned southward again, leading to a gate to enter the space of the Front Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile, the palace’s central building. The Western corridor of the Imperial Domicile extended north-south in front of you, while the Eastern corridor of the Imperial Domicile was located about 180 m to the east of the Western corridor, between which lay the Imperial Domicile.

    The gate to the Imperial Domicile in the winding Western corridor of the Former Naniwa Palace’s Imperial Domicile, and the gate to the Front Main Hall [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Western corridor and outer wall of the Imperial Domicile of the Latter Naniwa Palace

  • The space of
    the Imperial Domicile
    extending ahead

    Layout of the remains of the Former and Latter Naniwa Palaces

    To make it easier to recognize the extent of the Imperial Domicile, the positions of the corridors and fences separating it from the surroundings were indicated with the pavement of the paths. As a way to indicate the borders, the pavement of the paths are red for the Former Naniwa Palace and black-gray for the Latter Naniwa Palace, while circles of slightly different shades indicate pillar positions. Ahead are fences and corridors that delineate the center of the Former Naniwa Palace’s Imperial Domicile, with the wall extending further north indicating the existence of another compartment revealed by the excavations. The wider part of the Former Naniwa Palace’s corridor that extends east-west on the southern side was a gate for entering the Imperial Domicile. Extending north-south underfoot was the Latter Naniwa Palace’s Eastern corridor of the Imperial Domicile, while its Western corridor was located about 180 meters to the west, beyond the Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile. This was the Latter Naniwa Palace’s Imperial Domicile.

    Former Naniwa Palace: Imperial Domicile

    Latter Naniwa Palace: Imperial Domicile [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Excavation in the Imperial Domicile area (March 2023 / photo: Shimadagumi Co., Ltd.)

  • Naniwa Palace,
    the excavated ancient capital

    Excavations from 1954 revealed the existence of palaces from the Asuka period (7th century) through the Nara period (8th century), the Former Naniwa Palace and the Latter Naniwa Palace, in an area around Hoenzaka in Chuo Ward. The Former Naniwa Palace is thought to have been Naniwanonagaranotoyosakinomiya, built after the capital’s relocation to Naniwa during the Taika Reform (645). It was Japan’s first full-scale palace, predating Fujiwara Palace and Nara Palace. The Latter Naniwa Palace was built by order of Emperor Shomu from the 3rd year of the Jinki era (726). The remains of the Imperial Domicile for both palaces have been found north of the Hanshin Expressway (Chuo-odori). The Imperial Domicile was located on the northern side of the palace’s center and was the site of the emperor’s daily life as well as his handling of government affairs. The central building was in a formal space surrounded by corridors and fences.

    Imperial Domicile of the Former Naniwa Palace (Asuka Period) [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Palace center of the Latter Naniwa Palace (Nara Period)

  • The Imperial Domicile’s
    South Gate and
    Eastern and Western
    Octagonal Halls

    In the Former Naniwa Palace in the Asuka period (7th century), the Imperial Domicilewhere the emperor conducted his daily life and government affairs, was a space connected with the State Halls Compound that hosted both ceremonies as well as the affairs of state. The Imperial Domicile’s Front Hall, its central building, also served as the Main Hall of the State Halls Compound. The buildings of the Former Naniwa Palace were constructed in the traditional style for Japanese palace architecture, with a base of pillars embedded directly in the ground, and shingle roofing.The architectural plan, which called for octagonal halls to be constructed to the east and west of the Imperial Domicile’s South Gate to give an air of splendor to the front of the Imperial Domicile, was unprecedented in Japan and demonstrates the influence of Chinese methods of palace construction. The Former Naniwa Palace is thought to have been the Naniwanonagaranotoyosakinomiya, described in the Nihon Shoki as “so impressive as to be inexpressible in words.”

    Central part of the Former Naniwa Palace viewed from the southwest [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

  • The excavated South Gate of
    the Imperial Domicile of
    the Former Naniwa Palace

    Important state ceremonies and official events were held here, with the Imperial Audience Hall being the most important building as that was where the emperor attended.

    The most important section of the Former Naniwa Palace is the Imperial Domicile, and its main gate is the South Gate. The Main Gate has longitudinal purlins measuring 7bays (approximately 32.7 m) and transverse beams measuring 2 bays (approximately 12.3 m), making it one of the two largest gates constructed in an ancient palace along with the gate for the Imperial Audience Hall Compound at Fujiwara Palace. With the octagonal halls situated to the east and west, it was designed to decorate the front of the Imperial Domicile and create an impressive appearance. The vast expanse of the State Halls Compound stretched to the south of the South Gate. The Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound in the era of the Latter Naniwa Palace was built in a location overlapping the South Gate of the Imperial Domicile. During excavation, traces of the removal of tuff used in the platform of the Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound were discovered on the same surface of the remains as the postholes of the Imperial Domicile’s South Gate, which had a base of pillars embedded directly in the ground.

    Perspective of the excavation site of the South Gate of the Imperial Domicile (1969)

    South Gate of the Imperial Domicile seen from the south [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Postholes of the South Gate of the Imperial Domicile (1969)

  • The Latter Naniwa Palace
    The Imperial Audience Hall
    Compound and
    State Halls Compound

    The central space in the Latter Naniwa Palace in the Nara period (8th century) comprised the Imperial Domicile, Imperial Audience Hall Compound, and State Halls Compound. The Imperial Audience Hall Compound was located to the south of the Imperial Domicile and to the north of the State Halls Compound. It was a space reserved exclusively for the emperor, and featured corridors around its ircumference. It spanned approximately 107 m from east to west and approximately 81 m from north to south. The Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound was in the center of the northern corridor, leading to the Imperial Audience Hall by a roofed passage between two buildings. The Imperial Audience Hall was the Main Hall of the State Halls Compound. On occasions such as official functions or ceremonies of state, or audiences with foreign envoys, the emperor attended the Imperial Audience Hall, and the nobility and bureaucrats would form their ranks in the forum at the center of the State Halls Compound. At most of the palaces in the Nara period, the buildings in the central part were constructed with foundation stones on top of a tall platform in order to produce more magnificent look, and they employed a Chinese architectural style with tile roofing.

    Imperial Audience Hall Compound of the Latter Naniwa Palace viewed from the southwest [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

  • Building layout of
    the Imperial Audience Hall
    Compound

    Excavation of the Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound(1969; blue shows the Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound; red shows the South Gate of the Former Imperial Domicile)

    The Rear Hall was placed behind the Imperial Audience Hall. It functioned as an antechamber when the emperor attended the Imperial Audience Hall. The two halls were joined by a roofed passage between two buildings, forming a shape like the katakana character エ when seen from above. The Imperial Audience Hall was encircled by corridors, and the northern corridor connected to the Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound, running from east to west. In the center of the southern corridor dividing this area from the State Halls Compound was the South Gate (Komon). The inside of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound was paved with gravel and was an extremely formal space.
    The Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound was built in a location overlapping the South Gate of the Former Imperial Domicile. During excavation, traces of the removal of tuff used in the platform of the Rear Hall were discovered on the same surface of the remains as the postholes of the South Gate from the Former Imperial Domicile, which had a base of pillars embedded directly in the ground.

    Gravel paving and scattered roof tiles from the vicinity of the Rear Hall of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound (1969)

    Imperial Audience Hall and the Rear Hall seen from the northeast [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Imperial Audience Hall and the Komon seen from the south The Latter [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

  • Naniwa Palace,
    the excavated ancient capital

    Excavations since 1954 have revealed palaces between two periods, the Former Naniwa Palace and the Latter Naniwa Palace, which were built from the Asuka period (7th century) through the Nara period (8th century) in an area centering on Hoenzaka in Chuo Ward. The Former Naniwa Palace is thought to have been Naniwanonagaranotoyosakinomiya, built after the capital’s relocation to Naniwa during the Taika Reform (645). The Latter Naniwa Palace was built by order of Emperor Shomu from the 3rd year of the Jinki era (726).
    The most important sections in the central part of the ancient palace were the Imperial Domicile, Imperial Audience Hall Compound, and State Halls Compound. In the Former Naniwa Palace, the Imperial Domicile, where the emperor conducted his daily life and government affairs,was a space connected with the State Halls Compound that hosted both ceremonies and the affairs of state; and the Imperial Domicile’s Front Hall, its central building, also served as the Main Hall of the State Halls Compound. However, the State Halls Compound of the Latter Naniwa Palace was on the south side of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound. On occasions when the emperor attended the Imperial Audience Hall, occasions such as official functions, ceremonies of state, or audiences with foreign envoys, the nobility and bureaucrats would form their ranks in the central forum of the State Halls Compound.

  • The space of
    the State Halls Compound,
    stretching out before the eyes

    The Imperial Hall Compund and State Halls Compound Area conceptual plan for development

    The State Halls Compound was in roughly the same location in both the Former Naniwa Palace and the Latter Naniwa Palace. At its center was a forum where the nobility and bureaucrats would form their ranks. Several buildings, called State Halls, were systematically arranged on both sides of the forum. The earlier buildings were constructed in the traditional style of Japanese palace architecture, with a base of pillars embedded directly in the ground, and shingle roofing. However, the later buildings were constructed on top of a tall platform in order to produce a more magnificent look, and a Chinese architectural style with tile roofing was used. Corridors and roofed mud walls surrounded the area.
    The location of the buildings, corridors, and roofed earthen walls are shown on the ground surface to make it easy to understand the scale and expanse of the State Halls Compound. The earlier structures are shown using red surfaces in a low position to simplify the distinction between the Former and Latter Naniwa Palace. The latter structures are made higher to make it easier to picture the platforms.

    The State Halls Compound of the Former Naniwa Palace seen from the south [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    The State Halls Compound of the Latter Naniwa Palace seen from the south [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Image reproducing a ceremony held at the State Halls Compound [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Excavation of the Eastern First Hall of State of the Former Naniwa Palace (1991)

  • Western Government Offices
    of the Latter Naniwa Palace
    The space with Gates with
    Five Bays between Pillars

    A large space running approximately 200 m from north to south was created on the western side of the State Halls Compound of the Latter Naniwa Palace. It is worth mentioning that there were two gates with five bays between pillars dividing this space into thirds. A gate with five bays between pillars is a gate with 6 pillars in front, with the space between the pillars measuring 5 bays. The architectural style of the gates was of the finest construction.
    These gates were located 158 m west of the center of the palace, which was twice the length to the western edge of the State Halls Compound. For this reason, it is recognized as intentional. The western edge of the space has not been identified, but it is known to have measured over 120 m wide from east to west. Not many buildings have been discovered in this space to date, and no one is sure of its purpose; however, this section was certainly important due to the placement of the two very formal gates with five bays between pillars.

    Excavation of the South Gate with Five Bays between Pillars (1985-1986)

    Excavation of a posthole and roof tiles in the section of the gates with five bays between pillars (1976-1977)

    Round eaves tile with lotus pattern and flat eaves tile with arabesque pattern

    All that has been excavated from the postholes on the north end of the section of the gates with five bays between pillars in the Latter Naniwa Palace, near where the wall with pillars embedded directly in the ground turned west, is a combination of round eaves tile with lotus pattern and flat eaves tile with arabesque pattern. They are known to have been baked in Nanao Tile Kiln in Suita City and transported here. It is worth noting that these eaves tiles with lotus pattern and arabesque pattern,rather than eave tiles with a concentric pattern, were used in the section of the gates with five bays between pillars, which was built at a relatively early stage of the Latter Naniwa Palace and reconstructed later into ditches using tuff.

    Round eaves tile with lotus pattern and flat eaves tile with arabesque pattern

  • Corridors and roofed
    earthen walls dividing
    the State Halls Compound

    The State Halls Compound in the ancient palace was a place for official functions or ceremonies of state, or audiences with foreign envoys, where the nobility and bureaucrats conducted government affairs. The center of both the Former and Latter Naniwa Palace was a forum, with several buildings, called State Halls, systematically arranged for the nobility and bureaucrats to sit on both sides. In the earlier period, these were encircled by corridors with 3 rows of pillars in an extremely formal structure, called a “compound corridor.” In the later period, the north and south sides were divided by compound corridors, and the east and west sides were divided by roofed earthen walls.
    The location of the buildings, corridors, and roofed mud walls are shown on the ground surface to make it easy to understand the scale and expanse of the State Halls Compound. The earlier structures are shown using red surfaces in a low position to simplify the distinction between the Former and Latter Naniwa Palace. The later structures are made higher to make it easier to picture the platforms.

    Excavation of the corridor on the west side of the State Halls Compound and the State Halls of the Former Naniwa Palace (1965)

    Corridor on the west side of the State Halls Compound and the State Halls of the Former Naniwa Palace [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Earthen wall with roof on the west side of the State Halls Compound and the State Halls of the Latter Naniwa Palace [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

  • The Former Naniwa Palace
    The Western Octagonal Hall

    Western Octagonal Hall of the Former Naniwa Palace seen from the southwest [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Octagonal halls were situated to the east and west of the South Gate of the Imperial Domicile, which served as its main gate. These were to decorate the front of the Imperial Domicile and create an impressive appearance, as it was the most important section of the Former Naniwa Palace. For the pillars inside the Western Octagonal Hall, a special method was adopted that involved digging one side of the postholes diagonally to widen them; therefore, it is thought that the pillars were tall and large, and the structure was a two-story tower. The octagonal surface was approximately 17.5 m in diameter, making it Japan’s largest octagonal structure. It was encircled by extremely formal compound corridors with 3 rows of pillars.
    Excavations have confirmed that an Eastern Octagonal Hall of the same scale and style was also built in a symmetrical position on the east side, with the South Gate of the Imperial Domicile between these halls.

    Excavation of the Western Octagonal Hall (1983)

    Excavation of the Eastern Octagonal Hall (1988)

    Reenactment of the erection of a pillar for an octagonal hall [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

  • The Latter Naniwa Palace
    The Imperial Audience Hall

    Excavation of the Imperial Audience Hall (1970-1971)

    The most important building in the Latter Naniwa Palace was the Imperial Audience Hall. On occasions when the emperor attended the Imperial Audience Hall, such as significant ceremonies or functions of state, or audiences with foreign envoys, the nobility and bureaucrats would form their ranks in the forum at the center of the State Halls Compound on the south side. The imperial throne was in the center of the Imperial Audience Hall.
    Excavations have revealed the surface size of the platform, and hewn tuff from the time of the Latter Naniwa Palace has been excavated. An estimation of the size and shape of the platform have been based on this, and the platform has been reproduced at the current site. It can be assumed that the Imperial Audience Hall had longitudinal purlins measuring 9 bays, or approximately 35.2 m, and transverse beams measuring 4 bays, or approximately 14.6 m. The height of the platform is presumed to have been over 2 m due to measurements of the projection of stairs found during excavation. The roof was tile, made from eave tiles with a concentric pattern.

    Image reproducing the Imperial Audience Hall by computer graphics [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Reproduction of the inside of the Imperial Audience Hall [Held by the Osaka Museum of History]

    Eave tiles with a concentric pattern

    Most of the eaves tiles on the roofs of the Imperial Audience Hall Compound and State Halls Compound of the Latter Naniwa Palace employed patterns called “jukenmon,” consisting of concentric circles, arcs, and contour lines. These tiles lend a distinctive character to the palace, compared with the lotus and scrollwork patterns of the roof tiles seen in most ancient palaces and temples.

    Eave tiles with a concentric pattern, distinctive of the Latter Naniwa Palace