Nijo Castle
A Brief History of Nijo Castle
After winning the Battle of Sekigaharain 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu needed a powerful base in Kyoto for the newly founded Tokugawa Shogunate. During official meetings with the Imperial Court, the shogun would stay there. Big and impressive, it is no coincidence that a castle close to the Imperial Palace was chosen as it was not only for Ieyasu’s visits, but because it symbolized the authority and power of the new shogunate.
Nijo or Nijo-jo (“jo” meaning castle) began construction in 1601. Tokugawa Ieyasu recruited all local daiymo to contribute to its building, and, by 1603, the castle was complete. From 1624 to 1626, Tokugawa Iemitsu expanded the castle, enlarging the palace and grounds and adding a five story keep. (UNESCO)
In 1750, the keep was struck by lightning and burned down, never to be rebuilt. In 1788, the entirety of Honmaru Palace was destroyed by fire, later to be replaced by part of the Katsura No-Miya Palace.
In 1867 the emperor gained favor and the Tokugawa Shogunate fell out of favor, leading to the castle being used as an imperial palace. Nijo’s Tokugawa hollyhock seals were replaced with the chrysanthemums of the imperial court. After being used for cabinet meetings for some years, it was donated to the city and became a public historic site. Nijo-jo is considered the best preserved example of castle architecture from the Tokugawa Shogunate. (UNESCO)
Nijo Castle was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1994. (UNESCO)
After winning the Battle of Sekigaharain 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu needed a powerful base in Kyoto for the newly founded Tokugawa Shogunate. During official meetings with the Imperial Court, the shogun would stay there. Big and impressive, it is no coincidence that a castle close to the Imperial Palace was chosen as it was not only for Ieyasu’s visits, but because it symbolized the authority and power of the new shogunate.
Nijo or Nijo-jo (“jo” meaning castle) began construction in 1601. Tokugawa Ieyasu recruited all local daiymo to contribute to its building, and, by 1603, the castle was complete. From 1624 to 1626, Tokugawa Iemitsu expanded the castle, enlarging the palace and grounds and adding a five story keep. (UNESCO)
In 1750, the keep was struck by lightning and burned down, never to be rebuilt. In 1788, the entirety of Honmaru Palace was destroyed by fire, later to be replaced by part of the Katsura No-Miya Palace.
In 1867 the emperor gained favor and the Tokugawa Shogunate fell out of favor, leading to the castle being used as an imperial palace. Nijo’s Tokugawa hollyhock seals were replaced with the chrysanthemums of the imperial court. After being used for cabinet meetings for some years, it was donated to the city and became a public historic site. Nijo-jo is considered the best preserved example of castle architecture from the Tokugawa Shogunate. (UNESCO)
Nijo Castle was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1994. (UNESCO)
Design
Like most castles at the time, Nijo was built from the available resources, including wood, metal, and clay. Although there was an abundance of natural stone, it was rarely used in Nijo except for the walls and gardens. The use of easily destructible or biodegradable materials proved problematic because many of the original buildings deteriorated and had to be demolished or undergo multiple restorations. Furthermore, the highly flammable materials in Honmaru Palace and the donjon contributed to their destruction by fire. However, the construction materials and methods were effective against the damaging affects of earthquakes and storms that often hit Japan.
Many parts of Nijo use shinden-zukuri and sharawagi, making them considered “traditional” Japanese architecture. Shinden zukuri is “The irregular dispersal of rectangular buildings… passing through and carefully related to a whole scheme of naturalistic and romantic gardening with rocks, trees, waterways or ponds, creating a self-contained artificial world of its own.”(Hitchcock) Interwoven with the concepts of a personal world is sharawagi, the juxtaposition between the randomness of nature and the structure of design. (Hitchcock) Ninomaru Palace and Garden as well as Honmaru Palace and Garden both exhibit sharawagi and shinden-zukuri.
Many parts of Nijo use shinden-zukuri and sharawagi, making them considered “traditional” Japanese architecture. Shinden zukuri is “The irregular dispersal of rectangular buildings… passing through and carefully related to a whole scheme of naturalistic and romantic gardening with rocks, trees, waterways or ponds, creating a self-contained artificial world of its own.”(Hitchcock) Interwoven with the concepts of a personal world is sharawagi, the juxtaposition between the randomness of nature and the structure of design. (Hitchcock) Ninomaru Palace and Garden as well as Honmaru Palace and Garden both exhibit sharawagi and shinden-zukuri.
Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru is the second defense circle of a Japanese castle. The Ninomaru Palace of Nijo Castle is composed of a diagonal line of six buildings going from southeast to northwest composes the Ninomaru Palace of Nijo Castle. Six bridges connect Ninomaru to the rest of Nijo-jo, and more than 800 tatami mats are kept in the 3,300 square meter complex. Many of the thirty-three rooms have golden walls with “elegantly decorated ceilings” and “beautifully painted sliding doors” called fusuma. (Kyoto Travel) Typically, the art on the fusuma matches the “theme” of the room. The fusuma were completed by the Kano School, the largest painting school at the time, which was made of a family that served the Tokugawa shogunate for over 200 years. (The Kyoto Project)
Aside from the incredible pieces of art in Ninomaru, one of the most unique features of Ninomaru Palace are the “nightingale floors”, named for the sounds they make when stepped on. In the corridors between buildings, the floorboards squeak loud enough for any intruder to be heard. (The Kyoto Project)
Ninomaru's decorated rooms and nightingale floors were generally used for administrative affairs. The palace consists of multiple waiting rooms and attendance rooms. Only highly ranked visitors were allowed into the main audience room with the shogun. Lower ranked visitors sat in rooms off the main room with no view of the shogun while bodyguards for the shogun waited in hidden closets. The Shogun’s offices and chambers were restricted specifically for the shogun and his female attendants. (Kyoto Travel)
The entirety of Ninomaru Palace was constructed in a popular samurai building style known as “bushofushoinzukkuri.” (UNESCO)
Aside from the incredible pieces of art in Ninomaru, one of the most unique features of Ninomaru Palace are the “nightingale floors”, named for the sounds they make when stepped on. In the corridors between buildings, the floorboards squeak loud enough for any intruder to be heard. (The Kyoto Project)
Ninomaru's decorated rooms and nightingale floors were generally used for administrative affairs. The palace consists of multiple waiting rooms and attendance rooms. Only highly ranked visitors were allowed into the main audience room with the shogun. Lower ranked visitors sat in rooms off the main room with no view of the shogun while bodyguards for the shogun waited in hidden closets. The Shogun’s offices and chambers were restricted specifically for the shogun and his female attendants. (Kyoto Travel)
The entirety of Ninomaru Palace was constructed in a popular samurai building style known as “bushofushoinzukkuri.” (UNESCO)
Kept in the Ninomaru Palace today, Nijo Castle had two temple bells called ‘tsurigane’ to warn of any incoming attacks.
The entranceway to Ninomaru Palace, Kurumayose features ranma -chokoku, a “decorative frieze made of carved panels above the head of a door” that differs on the front and the back. (UNESCO) The front of the Kurumayose depicts five mythical birds known as “luan”, pine trees, peonies, clouds, and grass. (UNESCO)
The guard house of Ninomaru, Tozamurai was a waiting place for daiymo and a meeting
place for shoguns and court messengers. It consists of the following rooms:
Tozamarai ni-no-ma or tora-no-ma: A “room of tigers” with fusuma depicting the animal. (UNESCO)
Chokushi-no-ma seifu-zu: A room used to greet messengers with a screen that shows green leaves, a seascape, and Genji-kumo, a traditional depiction of gold clouds. (UNESCO)Ni-no-ma Chikurintora-zu: A waiting room for daiymo. One of its fusuma depicts a leopard drinking beside a lion. Leopards were commonly thought to be female lions at the time. (UNESCO)
A reception building, Shikidai is where the shogun’s council of elders would meet and the shogun would receive gifts. It is simple, with white walls and a plain, boarded ceiling. It contains four rooms: the Shikidai-no-ma, the Rojū Ichi-no-ma, the Rojū Ni-no-ma, and the Rojū San-no-ma. The Ichi-no-ma and Ni-no-ma have a screen of wild geese in summer, and the San-no-ma depicts herons in winter.
The great hall of Ninomaru is called the “Ohiroma.” Ohiroma Ichi-no-ma and Ni-no-ma are open meeting rooms with no partition between them, however, the Ichi-no-ma is raised up a level as it is where the shogun sat. The fusuma in the Ni-no-ma depicts a pine and a peacock. The Yon-no-ma is thought to be the room where the shoguns weapons were kept when he visited- on its wall there is an eagle and two hawks; these birds “were thought to display the qualities of the shogun” (UNESCO).
Sotetsu-no-ma is “a room of cycad.” (UNESCO)
A meeting room for hereditary daiymo, the Kuro-Shoin has fusuma with depictions of sakura and azalea trees. It is a great example of a framed structure, with beams and a coffered ceiling.
A study and the shogun’s living quarters, the Shiro-Shoin was once called the Gozan-no-ma. The wall art was different than in the other buildings; it used strong ink brushstrokes and depictions of small plants. These ink landscape paintings are known as suiboku sansui ga. (UNESCO)
The guard house of Ninomaru, Tozamurai was a waiting place for daiymo and a meeting
place for shoguns and court messengers. It consists of the following rooms:
Tozamarai ni-no-ma or tora-no-ma: A “room of tigers” with fusuma depicting the animal. (UNESCO)
Chokushi-no-ma seifu-zu: A room used to greet messengers with a screen that shows green leaves, a seascape, and Genji-kumo, a traditional depiction of gold clouds. (UNESCO)Ni-no-ma Chikurintora-zu: A waiting room for daiymo. One of its fusuma depicts a leopard drinking beside a lion. Leopards were commonly thought to be female lions at the time. (UNESCO)
A reception building, Shikidai is where the shogun’s council of elders would meet and the shogun would receive gifts. It is simple, with white walls and a plain, boarded ceiling. It contains four rooms: the Shikidai-no-ma, the Rojū Ichi-no-ma, the Rojū Ni-no-ma, and the Rojū San-no-ma. The Ichi-no-ma and Ni-no-ma have a screen of wild geese in summer, and the San-no-ma depicts herons in winter.
The great hall of Ninomaru is called the “Ohiroma.” Ohiroma Ichi-no-ma and Ni-no-ma are open meeting rooms with no partition between them, however, the Ichi-no-ma is raised up a level as it is where the shogun sat. The fusuma in the Ni-no-ma depicts a pine and a peacock. The Yon-no-ma is thought to be the room where the shoguns weapons were kept when he visited- on its wall there is an eagle and two hawks; these birds “were thought to display the qualities of the shogun” (UNESCO).
Sotetsu-no-ma is “a room of cycad.” (UNESCO)
A meeting room for hereditary daiymo, the Kuro-Shoin has fusuma with depictions of sakura and azalea trees. It is a great example of a framed structure, with beams and a coffered ceiling.
A study and the shogun’s living quarters, the Shiro-Shoin was once called the Gozan-no-ma. The wall art was different than in the other buildings; it used strong ink brushstrokes and depictions of small plants. These ink landscape paintings are known as suiboku sansui ga. (UNESCO)
Ninomaru Garden
Ninomaru Garden, also called Hachijin Garden, is a well preserved example of landscaping dating to the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate. In preparation for a visit from the Emperor, it is thought that a part of the garden was improved in 1626, but otherwise it remained untouched during the Tokugawa Shogunate. (UNESCO) Originally established under the rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu, by the end of the shogunate’s rule, the garden was in ruin. When power went back to the emperor and the Imperial Court, the garden was redone. Since then, Ninomaru Garden has remained practically untouched.
Designed by Kobori Enshu, architect and tea master, Ninomaru Garden expresses shinsen horai, or “eternal youth and immortality.”(UNESCO) It is centered around a large pond with three islands: Hōrai-jima, the Island of Eternal Happiness; Tsuru-jima, Crane Island; and Kame-jima, Turtle Island. (Discover Kyoto) Ornamental stones and twisted pine trees make it an example of a “traditional” Japanese garden.
Sago palms are a special part of the Ninomaru Gardens. During the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu, Emperor Gomizumoo visited Nijo Castle. The ‘tobujitsu roku’ records show that the Nabeshima clan’s Katsushige Nabeshima presented the emperor with a Japanese sago palm. (UNESCO) It is thought that the sago palms currently in the garden are the same ones presented to the emperor. To take care of these special trees, the staff of Nijo Castle “completely wrap the trunks of the trees in straw” (UNESCO). This routine has been going on since the Imperial Household Department started taking care of the garden after power was transferred from the Tokugawa shogunate to the emperor.
Designed by Kobori Enshu, architect and tea master, Ninomaru Garden expresses shinsen horai, or “eternal youth and immortality.”(UNESCO) It is centered around a large pond with three islands: Hōrai-jima, the Island of Eternal Happiness; Tsuru-jima, Crane Island; and Kame-jima, Turtle Island. (Discover Kyoto) Ornamental stones and twisted pine trees make it an example of a “traditional” Japanese garden.
Sago palms are a special part of the Ninomaru Gardens. During the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu, Emperor Gomizumoo visited Nijo Castle. The ‘tobujitsu roku’ records show that the Nabeshima clan’s Katsushige Nabeshima presented the emperor with a Japanese sago palm. (UNESCO) It is thought that the sago palms currently in the garden are the same ones presented to the emperor. To take care of these special trees, the staff of Nijo Castle “completely wrap the trunks of the trees in straw” (UNESCO). This routine has been going on since the Imperial Household Department started taking care of the garden after power was transferred from the Tokugawa shogunate to the emperor.
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru is the main defense circle of Nijo-jo. Originally, Nijo’s Honmaru Palace was composed of a five story castle keep and second palace complex built under Tokugawa Iemitsu, but it burned down in the 1788 and was never rebuilt. (UNESCO)
In the 20th century, the Katsura No-Miya Palace was moved from its location over two miles away and took the place of Honmaru. (UNESCO) The “new” Honmaru Palace was built in 1620, is similar in size to Ninomaru Palace, and has Kano School paintings decorating the inside. Unfortunately, it is rarely open to the public, and consequently, much less is known about it than Ninomaru Palace.
In the 20th century, the Katsura No-Miya Palace was moved from its location over two miles away and took the place of Honmaru. (UNESCO) The “new” Honmaru Palace was built in 1620, is similar in size to Ninomaru Palace, and has Kano School paintings decorating the inside. Unfortunately, it is rarely open to the public, and consequently, much less is known about it than Ninomaru Palace.
Honmaru Garden
Like Honmaru Palace, Honmaru Garden also burned down in 1788. The garden was never recreated, but Tokugawa Yoshinobu built living quarters and a teahouse style garden which was demolished later. (UNESCO) Centuries later, a part of the Katsura Gardens came with Katsura No-Miya. The garden features a garden path winding through grass and sanukite stone steps. Japanese blue oak and Photinia Glabra trees are planted among lanterns and garden stones. In the southeast corner of the garden there is a tsukimi dami, or “a place to view the moon.” (UNESCO) Although not an original part of the castle, Honmaru Garden is heavily based off of landscaping styles from the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Gates
The gates of Japanese castles are called "mon." Main gates like the far left and right pictures usually have two columns called ‘kagami bashira’ to hold the gate doors. The columns are connected by a ‘kabuki’ crossbeam. (UNESCO)
Nijo Castle's entrance to Ninomaru Palace is a "Karamon Gate." Especially elaborate in its details and woodcarvings, it is considered a Chinese-style gate even though it uses "karahafu", a curved gable that is unique to Japan. The gate's thatching of cypress bark is held up by four pillars. (Discover Kyoto)
Nijo Castle's entrance to Ninomaru Palace is a "Karamon Gate." Especially elaborate in its details and woodcarvings, it is considered a Chinese-style gate even though it uses "karahafu", a curved gable that is unique to Japan. The gate's thatching of cypress bark is held up by four pillars. (Discover Kyoto)
Moats and Walls
There are 2 “layers” of walls and moats; one around Honmaru Palace and one around Ninomaru Palace. The walls of Nijo Castle would have been constructed with a technique known as ‘nomen-zumi’, which includes the use of natural stones arranged as a face of a wall. The two variations of this include ‘uchikomi-hagi’, where the gaps in the rocks are filled by other, smaller rocks, and ‘kirikomi-hagi’, where rocks are cut so there is no gap between the rocks. (UNESCO) Moats, also known as “hori”, provided another defense system. (Key Vocab) Invading parties would have to cross two moats and walls to get to the main keep, wasting time, energy, and resources.
Newer Additions to Nijo-jo
Plum and Cherry Tree Groves
Nijo-jo sports about 400 Camellia (Tsubaki) of around 90 varieties that were planted in 1953. A year later, a Japanese Plum or Ume grove was planted. In 1955, Cherry Blossoms, or Sakura, were planted, with a total of 400 trees with 50 varieties. Spike Winter Hazel, or Tosamizuki, can also be found. Tosamizuki is commonly used for bonsai, “a Japanese art form that involves the creation and care of miniature garden trees.”(Discover Kyoto
Seryui-en Garden
The Seryui-en Garden of Nijo Castle is a sorin-shiki garden, or an open forest garden, designed by Jihei Ogawalay. The garden was planted in the 1950’s with influences from the Tokugawa period, but is considered a half western and half eastern garden due to its other influences. Half of the garden, influenced by eastern landscaping, is covered in grass. The other, “eastern” half includes a chisen-kaiyu shiki garden (a central pond and spring surrounded by a path), a dry landscape garden, a hill and stream garden, and two tea houses.