Nijo-jo Castle in Kyoto – Highlights & Personal photos.

2024-03-192024-08-31

Nijo-jo Castle was completed in 1603 on the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate(1603-1867). It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu built this castle as a place to stay during his stay in Kyoto. The Castle is famous as a world cultural heritage site, and you can enjoy beautiful wall paintings and a magnificent garden.

This article will share the highlights of Nijo-jo Castle, along with some personal photographs.

Geting to Nijo-jo Castle from Kyoto Station

The most convenient way to reach Nijo-jo Castle from Kyoto Station is by bus.

STEP

Board bus number 9 or 50 from B1 or B2 bus stop at Kyoto Station Bus Terminal.

The bus terminal is located right next to the central exit of Kyoto Station on the north side. Follow the “Bus” signs located throughout Kyoto Station to the bus terminal. The photo above is the bus terminal.

Look for the pillar marked B1 or B2 and the bus number is 9 or 50. Please be careful to board the correct bus.

STEP

Disembark at “Nijo-jo-mae” bus stop.

It takes approximately 15 minutes to get here from Kyoto Station. Nijo-jo Castle is conveniently located right in front of the bus stop.

The photo above is the ticket office.

The entrance gate is designated as an important cultural property, and the existing gate is thought to have been built around 1662.

Highlights of Nijo-jo Castle

Upon entering and past the ticket office, Kara-mon Gate, which is the entrance to the Ninomaru-goten Palace will greet you. This gate was build in 1625.

The gate is decorated with gorgeous and colorful carvings of cranes, pine trees, bamboo, and plums, which symbolize longevity and auspicious events.

Once you pass through the Karamon gate, you will find the Ninomaru Palace, the building where the shogun slept during his visit to Kyoto. It is one of the four remaining palaces in Japan. It remains at Kawagoe Castle (Saitama Prefecture), Kochi Castle (Kochi Prefecture), Kakegawa Castle (Shizuoka Prefecture), and Nijo Castle.

Ninomaru Palace is an important example of Shoin-zukuri, a samurai housing style, and has been designated as a national treasure as an important structure in the history of Japanese architecture.
A shoin style is furnished with a set of decorative features, such as alcoves for the display of art objects, a built-in table.

The interior is decorated with wall paintings and various carvings, creating a luxurious space worthy of a shogun’s palace. Although photography is not allowed inside, Nijo Castle’s Ninomaru Palace has over 3,600 wall paintings, of which 1,016 are important cultural properties. A tiger, pine tree, cherry blossoms, etc. are drawn on a gold background.

Inside the building, there are models of shoguns and samurai, giving you a sense of what it was like back then. It’s also interesting to hear that the hallways of Ninomaru Palace make squeaky noises when people walk.

After going deeper into the grounds, the Ninomaru garden spreads out.
It is a classical Shoin-zukuri style garde, with a large Horai-jima island (symbolizeing Paradise) flanked by acrane island and a turtle island.

This is an observation deck where you can get a panoramic view of the city of Kyoto.

Approximately 90 plum trees are planted on the grounds of Nijo Castle, and in early spring you can enjoy the scent and color of various plum blossoms such as white plum, red plum, and pink plum.