Nijo Castle

This summer I spent four days touring around the city of Kyoto, a city renowned for its history, culture, and architecture. Each day I spent 7-12 hours on my feet and tried to see as much of the city as I possibly could. My destination goals were the result of online suggestions, tour books, and information centers; so, as a result I have hundreds of pictures and sore feet and lots to talk about so that you can enjoy my trip with me and maybe learn from me in case you ever visit.

So, let's start with Nijo Castle.

         Nijo Castle is in the North-Eastern corner of the city valley of Kyoto. It is a stunning structure, huge walls and a medieval style moat built over 400 years ago to protect the feudal lord (shogun) and his knights errant (shogunate).  Within the walls is a castle which is genuinely impressive for its sheer size alone. The artwork on the inside of the castle is no longer exposed to artificial light and so is illuminated only with the remnants of light that filter through the translucent paper windows which run floor to ceiling on the sliding doors that encompass the building.  

        With a little imagination, the artwork on the castle walls, ceiling, and doors is genuinely stunning as most of it is pained on gold leaf or with gold filigree - I can only imagine the wonder of those rooms with the sliding doors thrown open to expose the golden paintings to a setting sun.  On the Lintels and unpainted walls are heavy but elaborate wooden, latticework carvings of natural scenes, the most famous of which appears to be two entirely different scenes when viewed from different directions. This ostentatious display made the intentional simplicity of the Shogun's room, composed of peaceful, watercolor scenes, shocking in contrast.

 Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos from within the building. Instead, here is a link to a website which discusses the creation of the paintings with examples from the palace.

http://www.hibiki-an.com/contents.php/cnID/62

The pictures above show the gate you must pass under in order to pass from the fortress grounds to the palace itself. You can also see that I am wearing headphones, since the sight offers an audio tour in various languages for visitors to rent and peruse at their leisure.  

Since information about Nijo Castle has already been compiled, I see no need for me to repeat the general facts. Instead I am attaching links to some of the most helpful websites for you to view or ignore as time allows. 

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3918.html

http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/japanese-castles/nijo-castle#hist

Outside the palace are beautiful gardens surrounded by towering stone walls. Of course, I visited the castle during rainy season and there was nowhere to hide from the weather. At some point during my tour it occurred to me that climbing to the top of the watch tower with an umbrella in a thunder storm was not my brightest idea. Fortunately, that occurred to me before I went to the top.

So, that is Nijo Castle:  peaceful gardens, a mysterious palace, and feudal stone walls.