Nijō-jō

History

In 1601, Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the shogunat of the Tokugawa orders in noble feudal west of Japan to take part in the construction of the castle of Nijô. Construction is completed in 1626 under the shogunat of Iemitsu Tokugawa. Initially built to be used as garrison, it acted temporary as residence of the shoguns Tokugawa at the time of their visits to the capital of the time: Kyôto.
the palate Nor No maru was built in 1626 on the orders of Iemitsu at the time of the visit of the emperor Go-Mizunoo.
In 1788, the Interior Palate (Honmaru) is destroyed by a fire which devastates Kyôto. The center of the palate will remain empty until in 1862.
In 1867, it is in the Ninomaru palate that the shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa due to officially return the capacity to the imperial authority, putting an end to the shogunat.
the following year, in 1868, the imperial cabinets move with the castle of Nijô. The emperor holds to with it the first sitted ones of his government. It is the beginning of the restoration Meiji.
In 1939, the palate is given to the town of Kyôto which opens it to the public the following year.

Fortifications

The castle of Nijô consists of two rings of fortifications, smallest being inserted in largest. They are both composed of a wall surrounded by a broad ditch. The houses of Nor No Maru are also surrounded by a simple wall and relatively low. The external wall is bored of three doors (north, is and western) while the interior fortification has only two of them (is and western). One finds in the south-western corner the foundations of a Pagode on five floors (Goju No Tô) which was destroyed by a fire in 1750. The interior walls protect the palate Honmaru and its garden. Between the two fortifications are the palate Nor No Maru, the kitchens, the room of the guards and several gardens.

Ninomaru palate

The 3300 m ² of the palate Nor No Maru are wood constuits almost exclusively of cypress. The interior of the palate is decorated with gilded murals representing pines or tigers, with an aim of impressing the visitors. Sumptuous panels carved there are also laid out. The shoguns sought to thus show their richness and their power. The murals are achievements of the school Kanô.

This palate gives a perfect example of the importance of architecture in the social reports/ratios. The visitors of low rows are received in the first parts of the palate less richly decorated, towards the exit, while the important visitors are received in the interior parts. The sliding doors allowing the arrival of the guards in the parts are not dissimulated, with an aim of intimidating the visitors.

With the back of the building, the palate shelters the private apartments of the shogun, where only the women could penetrate.

One of the characteristics of the castle of Nijô is the " floor rossignol" who recovers the corridors. It is built so that the least step makes grate the wood slats, which emit a sound similar to pépiement of a bird. This floor is built to detect any intruder or potential assassin.

Honmaru palate

The Honmaru palate covers 1600 m ², divided into four parts: apartments, rooms of reception and entertainment, hall and kitchens. The various parts are connected by courses and corridors. Architecture is style of the end of the Period Edo, and a great number of paintings were carried out by the Kanô school.

Gardens

The castle is strewn with several gardens, orchards of cherry trees of Japan and gingkos. The garden of Nor No Maru was drawn by the architect and Master of the Enshû Kobori. It is located between the two fortifications, beside the palate of the same name. The garden amongst other things has a large basin with three islands and of many stones placed with precision, as well as miniature pines.

The Seiryû garden () is the most recent part of the whole of the castle of Nijô, built in 1965 in the northern part of the architectural complex. It was imagined to facilitate the reception of the hosts of marks of the town of Kyôto, and the organization of cultural events. One find there two houses of and an arrangement of more than 1000 stones.

See too

Japanese Architecture
Japanese Art
List of Japanese castles

External bonds

Nijô-OJ, quotes of the municipality of Kyôto, in English.

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