Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle 1
Nijo Castle 2
Tea House

Chrysanthemum
After walking through the grounds of Nijo Castle, I have to say that it is the most impressive single site that I have seen while in Japan. It is basically an old castle that was built by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the early 1600s. Although they later decided to move the capital from Kyoto to Edo (modern Tokyo), they needed to establish themselves as the main force in Japan, so they built this castle near the Imperial Palace, the residence of the Emperor, and tried to outdo the Imperial Palace in size and grandness (in fact, it is my conclusion, with the limited knowledge of Japanese history that I have, that the Emperor of Japan has never really had that much power, until Meiji reassumed the power of the Emperor in the late 1800s to early 1900s). In any case, Nijo Castle is what is left.

There are as many similarities as there are differences between Japanese castles and European castles. Nijo Castle had a moat surrounding it, and only a single bridge between it and the outside area. When the castle was complete, it had a large five story tower in the center that allowed the inhabitants of the castle survey the surrounding area. There were also towers at each of the corners of the castle that functioned as fortifications. In fact, at its peak, this castle and its grounds were larger than any castle in Europe. However, as is the case with many buildings in Japan, fire consumed the tower, and other parts over the years. Also, since the Tokugawa Shogunate transferred the capital from Kyoto to Edo, this castle diminished in importance, and so its upkeep was not maintained, and it fell into disrepair. Basically, what was left, then, looked more like a large sprawling mansion rather than a well fortified castle.

They allowed us to walk through the mansion part of the main castle, and see the different rooms. There were a lot of wall paintings, and the famous nightingale floors that squeaked when you walked across them, thus alerting the inhabitants to intruders. The paintings on the walls of the rooms were in what I might call the old Japanese style, and usually had themes of nature, such as swans, tigers, and flowers. I was really stunned by the whole thing.

The grounds were large enough that they had gardens, and ponds. There were even chrysanthemums in bloom, which might be a symbol of the Shogunate.