Nijō Castle

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The Ninomaru Palace in Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle ( Nijo - jo jap二条 城) is a Japanese castle and former seat of the Shogun in Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. The castle was named because it was adjacent to the "second east-west boulevard" ( Nijo ōji ).

History

The system was created in 1601 by the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. It served as a residence of the shoguns during their stay in the Imperial City and was attached correspondingly large. However, it was rarely used, since the actual headquarters of the shoguns was in Edo, and was thus above all a symbol of power of the Shogun in the Imperial City. To a rectangular, surrounded by water core region ( Honmaru ) a second rectangle has been created, the Ninomaru with its large residence. Parts of the residence burned down in 1788 and 1791, in 1860 established a large earthquake damage to that - for that matter Ninomaru - but were repaired.

The building complex zigzag applied the partial building Tōsaburai, Shikida, Ōhiroma, Kuro- Shoin follow each other, which still connects the Shiro - Shoin. The first four parts of the building are surrounded by a colonnade, of which squeaks a bit when entering. This is the famous " nightingale hall " which was created according to the legend so that no one can move unheard of there. Noteworthy is the magnificent furnishings of the rooms, where much gold was used. The painting comes in part from Kanō Tan'yu.

After the Meiji Restoration, the castle fell to the emperor and eventually to the city of Kyoto. The Ninomaru residence is the only one of all princely residences of the Edo period, which has been preserved. It is led ( in part) as a national treasure, the entire system since 1994, along with other sites UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities ).

The Kurums - yose (input) Behind the Tōsaburai