Nijo Castle (Nijōjō) was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, Nijo Castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened up to the public as a historic site. The Honmaru is the 20,000 square meter area surrounded by the inner moat, featuring a garden and palace. When it was first built, boasting beautiful rooms designed by the Kanō School, the Honmaru Palace was very similar to the Ninomaru Palace

The Honmaru Yagura-mon Gate built in about 1626 of the Edo Period 

The Honmaru Yagura-mon

Gate has been designated as an important

cultural property.This gate had a

role as the entrance to the

Honmaru

Camellia

The Honmaru palace is the building where five buildings were connected.This building removed and rebuilt the old residence of Prince Katsura which was located to the Kyoto Gyoen (Kyoto Imperial Garden)

The Honmaru

The Ninomaru

The Seiryu-en garden

Nijo Castle can be divided into three areas: the Honmaru (main circle of defense), the Ninomaru and some gardens that encircle the Honmaru and Ninomaru

The Seiryu-en garden

The entire castle grounds and the Honmaru are surrounded by stone walls and moatsThe Honmaru (main circle of defense) was the site of a second palace complex and a five story castle keep. However, both structures were destroyed by fires in the 18th century and were never rebuilt

Camellia

After the fall of the shogunate,

an imperial residence was

moved from the Katsura

Imperial Palace to Nijo

Castle's Honmaru where it remains

today as the Honmaru Palace

Camellia

Originally Honmaru garden was Karesansui (Japanese rock

garden)However, this garden was repaired in a current style

when the Emperor Meiji came to this

castle in 1896

Ginkgo trees are more easily found in temples, shrines, urban parks and along city streets than in nature

Yukimi stone lantern

Otsune Goten built in about 1849 of the late Edo Period which has been designated as an important cultural property

Camellia

Genkan (Entrance hall) has been designated as an important cultural property.These buildings were also used as the temporary Imperial Palace of Emperor Komei in old days

The Honmaru Palace, Otsune Goten built in about 1849 

Many areas of the castle grounds are also populated by maple, ginkgo and

other trees that offer

brilliant autumn colors usually

during the second half of November

The viewing of autumn leaves is called koyo or momiji-gari in

Japanese, and is a popular pastime

in autumn 

"Koyo" are to the Japanese autumn what cherry blossoms are to spring. The viewing of autumn leaves has been a quite popular activity in Japan for centuries and today draws large numbers of travelers to famous spots

In 1788, due to flying sparks of the great fire, the Honmaru Palace, Corner Towers (Sumiyagura) and hall turrets (Tamonyagura), among other things, were lost to fire

Unlike the Ninomaru Palace, the Honmaru Palace is not regularly open to the public, although there are occasional special openings

Camellia

Visitors may, however, walk around the Honmaru gardens and climb up the stone foundation of the former castle keep, which offers views over the castle grounds

The foundation of a Castle tower in this garden is currently becoming the viewing platform

The Honmaru palace from the viewing platform

Nijō Castle is a flatland castle in Kyoto. The castle consists of two concentric rings (Kuruwa) of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is 275,000 square metres, of which 8,000 square metres is occupied by buildings

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Nicoleta Leu InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

Sound: Yoshida Brothers - Evening Calm (Yuunagi) 2017