Kyoto - Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle has belonged to the city of Kyoto since 1939. The castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603. At the beginning of the Meiji era it was for a time the seat of government, and it was from here that the Emperor issued the rescript abolishing the Shogunate. From 1871 to 1884 it was occupied by the prefectural administration, and during this period many of the works of art contained were badly damaged.

The castle is surrounded by a moat and stone walls with corner towers. It is entered by the East Gate (Higashi Otemon) and an inner gate, Karamon, which has fine carving by Hidari Jingoro and decorated metalwork. This gate originally came from Fushimi Castle. Beyond it is still another gate, the Mikuruma-yose, also decorated by Hidari Jingoro, which gave access to the Ninomaru Palace. This consists of five separate buildings linked by corridors. The interiors are decorated with paintings by Kano Tanyu and his pupils. The principal apartment is the Jodan-no-ma (Hall of the Imperial Emissary); in the adjoining rooms, Ni-no-ma and Tozamurai-no-ma, are pictures of tigers. The linking corridors (like those in Chion-in) have floors, which creak when anyone walks on them, thus giving warning of the approach of a visitor.

The second building has three apartments and beyond this is the third complex, the large Audience Hall, surrounded by a gallery or ambulatory. On the sliding doors are large paintings of larches on a gold ground; the subsidiary rooms have elaborate carvings by Hidari Jingoro. The fourth building, the Kuro-shoin, has animal paintings by Kano Naonobu; in the Shogun's private apartments, beyond this, are paintings of mountain landscapes.

The garden to the west of the palace was originally designed without trees, since it was desired to avoid the impression of transitoriness created by their foliage. The trees, which it now contains, were planted in recent times.