Let’s take our leave of Kenpon-ji Temple and return through the main street once known as the Kishu Kaido. Osaka’s last streetcar runs through here, which you can ride into Osaka proper.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Sen-no-Rikyū, and the merchants of Sakai were the protagonists of our story-focused tour through the vestiges of the golden days. And as the sun set on Toyotomi’s world, so too did it fade for Sakai, marking the end of the golden days.

War broke out in Edo between the Toyotomi clan and the Tokugawa clan, who undid the shogunate. Being Japan’s leader in firearm manufacture and distribution, Sakai received commissions from both armies, with 10,000 guns going to the Tokugawa clan, and 5,000 to the Toyotomi clan. Looking at those numbers, it seemed obvious who would win in the end, so the manufacturers asked the Toyotomi clan to pay in advance on one side while allowing the Tokugawa clan to pay later. But as they say, “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” The treachery incurred the wrath of the Toyotomi clan; if Sakai would deal with the enemy, then Sakai would burn. The resulting inferno burned so fiercely that it could be seen all the way from Osaka.

The Tokugawa clan helped rebuild Sakai after the razing, but the town would never reclaim its past glory. Prosperity and decline, both caused by firearms – perhaps that too was karmic justice. As gold dazzles, so too does it cast shadows. Perhaps the story of Sakai is imparting this message to us in the modern age.

*This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try to find out what really happened on your travels!