Nijō Castle, Kyoto 二条城

By Phuong on 2016-08-06 23:34:38

The Nijō Castle, called Nijō-jō 二条城 , is located in the north of the center of Kyoto. It was the residence of the first Shogun in Kyoto in the Edo period (1603-1867), the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was built in 1626 and consists of two concentric rings of fortifications, palaces Ni no Maru (二の丸) and Honmaru (本丸). The palace Ni no Maru was completed in 1626, this palace can be visited and the palace Honmaru was completed in 1788. The entrance of the Nijō castle is 600 yen.

The castle is 275 000 m² including 8000 m² of construction. It is not possible to visit the palace Honmaru, it was destroyed in a fire and remained empty until 1862. We can only see the outside of the palace. Most of the visit Nijo Castle is in the palace Ni no Maru and gardens surrounding the palace 2. Entering the palace Ni no Maru, you willpass through a huge wooden door adorned with gold and magnificent carved panels. This palace is made exclusively of cypress wood. Inside you'll find the golden murals depicting pine or tigers as decoration of the palace. This palace was used to welcome the visitors of the Shogun. Visitors at the bottom row are received in the first rooms less richly decorated of the palace towards the exit, while important visitors are received in the internal parts. You will see when you visit, a room with mannequins representing the Shogun welcoming people of the Court. At the rear of the building, you will see the private apartments of the shogun, where only women could enter and a room withe the representation of the wife of Shogun and her ladies. There is also near the entrance, the gallery of Nijō castle where are exposed the real wall paintings of the palace Ni no Maru. To access this gallery, there is an extra charge of 400 yen.

The Nijo Castle is the demonstration of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu 's prestige ( 1542-1616 ). This was the oawerbase of the Shogun in the ancient capital of Kyoto, which is now open to the public since 1939. Please enjoy!