One of seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto, this was the showpiece of the Tokugawa shogunate. Building began in 1601 and finished in 1626. In 1939 it was given to the city of Kyoto and opened to the public in 1940. The buildings seen here are reconstructions and refurbishments of earlier construction.
Kyoto was the residence of the shogun but Edo was used as the capital city. The Emperor lived near by and Kyoto was still the Imperial court. Some of the Imperial gardens and water resources were aquired in the expansion of the Castle. Our guide suggested this was a good way for the Emperor to keep an eye on what the shogun was up to. Wikipedia has a good description of the relationship between the Emperor and the shogun.
Our tour began on the lower left and proceeded to the zigzag building in the lower centre. It looks like it was continually being added to. This is the Ninomaru Palace and it is surrounded by two stone walls.
The gates through the walls are beautifully decorated with gold carvings and were designed to impress all visitors with the power of the shogun. They certainly impressed the tourists.
Even the inside of the gates was decorated to the same extent so that the guests would leave with a reminder of the shogun’s power.
If you are interested in reading signs when you visit historic places like this, there are a few below to say the same as I could but with more authority.
I will leave you with a video tour of this part of the castle. Pictures were not allowed in the palace but it did have a very specially designed feature. It is called a Nightingale Floor. Unlike the floor in an old wooden home which creaks and groans as you walk on it, This one intentionally gives a high-pitched whistle with every step. It does sound like a bird singing. The purpose is to warn the guards that someone is walking around in the palace hallways.
Did you think there was a camera trick to make you think you were going through the same gate twice? Did you like the sound of the crunching of feet on the crushed limestone? That is not as pleasant as the sound of the nightingale floor. The excursion rushed us through this exhibit so we did not have much time to walk through the garden. Not to worry, there is a better garden to visit in a later post. As a final note, the rooms in the palace were mostly empty with different sizes and different wallpaper and looked something like this.
Very beautiful. It’s on my bucket list
Everyone has a bucket list. How big is yours?
I am in awe of the beauty and intricate detail of the architecture, the gardens, and the nightingale floor of Nijo Castle in Nijo. It is clear that a great deal of thought and care went into the design and construction of this castle, and it is a testament to the power and influence of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is a rare and precious treasure, and I am grateful that you had the opportunity to visit and share it with us. Thank you again for sharing your photos and videos! They have truly inspired me to learn more about Nijo Castle and the history of Japan.
Kyoto is a great city to visit. Watch for the next post for a walk around the gardens of the Heian Shinto Shrine.
Wow! What a beautiful sight to visit. I love the addition of the video to your blog post. I feel like I got to experience a little bit of it for myself. Keep blogging and travel safe!
You will like the next post because it includes more videos of walks in the gardens that I said were coming.
Oh my! this is so stunning… some of the things you mentioned and your pics reminded me of a couple of books i read based in Japan last year (can’t recall which ones though).. maybe they used this place as a reference ?:)
😳 wow
😳wow
Thanks