Edo Castle

From Jcastle.info

Edo6.jpg

History

The history of Edo Castle dates back to the Heian Period when a fortified palace was built by the Edo clan on this site. In 1457 Ota Dokan constructed the first Edo Castle under the Uesugi clan. The castle remained under the control of the Uesugi family until the coming of the Tokugawa. Before Tokugawa Ieyasu, Edo (Tokyo) was just another town in the Kanto area. Partly due to Ieyasu's revolutionary city planning, the town of Edo developed at lightning speed and quickly became the social and political center of Japan.

In 1590, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed the unification of Japan he granted lordship over the greater Tokyo region to his lieutenant Tokugawa Ieyasu. Tokugawa could have ruled from the well established castle town of Odawara (80km west of Tokyo); instead, he took the opportunity to build a new city from the underdeveloped village of Edo. In a little over 100 years, Edo's population would grow to more than a million people, making it the largest city in the world.

When Tokugawa became Shogun in 1603, Edo effectively became the capital of Japan. He mobilized a workforce from all parts of the country to build the huge stone walls, watchtowers, and palaces of the castle. The castle was the heart of Tokugawa's city and the largest castle in the world. The castle design was the work of the great castle architect, and Ieyasu's friend, Todo Takatora.

The 15km outer moat and the 5km inner moat connect to the Sumida River to roughly spiral around the inner compound of the castle. The entire 15km of the outer moat was dug and completed in around four months, an incredible feat in any century. These Inner and Outer moats were crossed by 36 gates, many of which have left their mark on well known place names: Hanzomon, Toranomon, Akasaka Mitsuke (-mon & -mitsuke are gates); Hitotsubashi, Kandabashi, Suidobashi, and Iidabashi (-bashi means bridge) are all namesakes from those fortified bridges. Buddhist temples were even strategically located in the Northeast (Kaneiji Temple) and Southwest (Zojoji Temple) to ward off evil spirits in accordance with Japanese feng shui.

Since the end of the Edo Period (1868), Tokyo has suffered calamities such as the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923) and WWII where fires destroyed much of the city. Even so, you can still find remnants of the original castle scattered around Tokyo. There are around 20 original buildings (3 of the gates are registered as Important Cultural Properties) and sections of the stonework fortifications can be seen throughout the city.

The six main compounds surrounded by the inner moat remain almost as they were at the end of the Edo Period. The Western and Fukiage Compounds are now known as the Imperial Palace and the First, Second and Third Compounds are called the "Imperial Palace East Gardens." You can walk the gardens, but the public is only allowed into the Imperial Palace grounds on special occasions. The North Compound is home to a park, museum, and the famous Budokan event hall. Jogging around this central core is a popular course for Tokyo runners. Any day of the week, you will see countless joggers making the 5km trek around the castle grounds. Many people don't realize that the massive stone walls and waterway they jog around were the original castle walls and moat. Along this course you can also enjoy the sights of 9 gates and 3 watchtowers, including the Otemon Gate.

The amount of stonework that has lasted over the past 400 years is amazing considering all they have withstood. Each stone was expertly fit together without mortar to provide enough flexibility to stand through hundreds of years of earthquakes. Most of the stone walls and fortifications of the outer moat were destroyed to make way for new developments in the 1900s. Sotobori Dori (Outer Moat Road) was built over part of the outer moat after filling most of it in. The canal across the northern part of the castle today is the only part of the old moat that was not filled in. If you walk along the high embankments you will occasionally come across ruins from the original fortifications.

For 264 years, 15 generations of Tokugawa ruled Japan from Edo Castle. The Tokugawa gave up control of the castle when they lost the Boshin war in 1868. The Emperor was restored as the ruler of Japan and moved to Edo Castle. At this time, the city was renamed Tokyo, or "Eastern Capital". The next time you are in Tokyo or even look at a map of the city, note the large green area in the middle and think about how the castle defined the city of Tokyo today.


Visit Notes

I have visited Edo-jo many times and never tire of walking the grounds or searching out remnants of the original castle. The size may surprise you because it would take most of a day to walk the whole grounds just off the main compounds to visit all the structures even with a well planned trip.

I've also written an extensive article on the stone quarries that supplied the stones and some background about how the Tokugawa built this extensive network of stone walls: Edo Castle Stone Quarries

I have a little over 100 photos of Edo-jo on this page pinned to the map. I'm in the process of organizing them into some albums for easier viewing. The albums do not have strict definitions but loosely group together photos from the same area that you should be able to easily visit in one grouping. Some areas around Iidabashi, Tokiwabashi, and Akasaka have had some developments since these photos were taken, mostly making the castle parts more visible or accessible and I'll try to get these updated in the next few months. (Mar 14, 2023)


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Gallery
  • Fujimi Yagura
  • Fujimi yagura
  • Main Keep foundation
  • Honmaru Bailey
  • Sakurada yagura
  • Otemon Gate
  • Otemon Gate
  • Kikyomon Gate
  • Tatsumi Yagura, Kikyomon Gate, Fujimi Yagura
  • Kikyomon watariyagura gate
  • Kikyomon Gate
  • Sakuradamon Gate
  • Sakurada Gate
  • Inside the Sakuradamon Gate
  • Sakurada Moat
  • Sakashita Gate
  • Doshin Bansho Guard House
  • 100 man guard house
  • Daibansho guard house
  • Shiomizaka slope
  • Fushimi Yagura
  • Ishimuro Stone Cellar
  • Nijubashi Bridge and Fushimi Yagura
  • Nishinomaru Otemon
  • Fujimi Tamon Yagura
  • Nishi Hanebashi Gate.
  • Hanzomon Gate
  • Sakurada Moat
  • Stone walls of the Bairinzaka
  • Suwa no Chaya Tea House
  • Hirakawa Gate
  • Fujomon Gate in the Hirakawa Gate
  • Hirakawa Gate
  • Kitahanebashi Gate
  • moat, stone walls
  • Tayasu gate
  • Tayasu Gate
  • Ushigafuchi Moat
  • Shimizu Gate
  • Shimizu Gate
  • Inui Gate
  • Buddhist invocation against evil


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Castle Profile
English Name Edo Castle
Japanese Name 江戸城
Founder Uesugi Family
Year Founded 1457
Castle Type Hilltop
Castle Condition No main keep but other buildings
Designations Top 100 Castles, has Important Cultural Properties, National Historic Site, Special Historic Site
Historical Period Edo Period
Artifacts Soto Sakurada Gate, Tayasu Gate, Shimizu Gate
Features gates, turrets, bridges, water moats, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access Tokyo Station, among others
Visitor Information Free admission. Opens from 9am. Closes between 4 and 5pm depending on the season. Closed Mondays and Fridays except when Monday is a national holiday, in which case it's closed on Tuesday. Also closed 12/28-1/3 and irregularly for other events.
Time Required 3 hrs.
Website http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/11/d11-03.html
Location Tokyo, Tokyo
Coordinates 35° 41' 17.66" N, 139° 45' 15.55" E
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Admin
Added to Jcastle 1999
Contributor Eric
Admin Year Visited 1992, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Admin Visits August 1992, many times since


3.46
(48 votes)
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Matthew WardGunshi

11 days ago
Score 1++

I went to Edo Castle more than 20 years ago... really need to go back. I think I just saw a bit of it, the area where you can see Tatsumi Yagura, Kikyomon Gate and Fujimi Yagura. Despite the fact that much of it is gone, it still seems like it must be one of the very greatest castles in Japan. And was once the biggest castle in the world, I think?

It also seems a bit like Nijo Castle in that it's often overlooked because it's a 'palace' and lacks a tenshu. But it is definitely in the top-5 in terms of extant buildings. 3 guardhouses, for example!
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ARTShogun

12 months ago
Score 1++
Thanks! I want to highlight this profile along with the kokuin gallery on the FB group at some point.
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FurinkazanDaimyo

14 months ago
Score 1++
On 14/12/2022, I went to 2 gates I've never been to. These were the Tayasu and Shimizu gates. I thought the Shimizumon to have a very particular defensive system. It's like an open masugata gate, and I'm glad to have seen it.
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EricShogun

12 months ago
Score 0++
yeah, I love the design here. Shimizu Gate is my favorite hidden gem in Edo Castle. The places with walls strategically have no walls to fire from other locations and not provide something for attackers to hide behind. They may also fall into the moat ! :)
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Anonymous user #1

28 months ago
Score 0 You
Excellent. Great short explanation with the info I needed. The pictures are cool.
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RohanGPeasant

44 months ago
Score 1++
I love Edo castle, but wish they would rebuild the tower in the East Gardens!
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Kikima34Gunshi

61 months ago
Score 0++
The grounds are really pretty and there is a lot of space to walk around and enjoy nature in the middle of Tokyo, but there isn’t a whole lot to look at otherwise.
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ARTShogun

72 months ago
Score 2++
When I was looking around Edo Castle (Tokyo Imperial Palace), I noticed a Manji carved into one of the corner stones of a yaguradai (turret platform). I was so pleased with my discovery that I immediately pointed it out to a frenchman who was taking photos in the same spot and he was well chuffed. Hopefully I can share some good luck!
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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

73 months ago
Score 2++

I visited this castle in January 2018, for the first time in nine years. In 2009 I didn't know anything about Japanese history or castles, so, needless to say maybe, I enjoyed my visit much more this time around. I was surprised by the number of buildings surviving (yagura and gates), and I especially liked the three bansho (番所), one of which is very long. It struck me that the bansho's architecture is very similar to the main building of sekisho (関所), such as the only original one in Arai (新井) and the reconstructed one in Hakone (箱根). As bansho and sekisho served a very similar purpose, maybe this is not very surprising.

Some other (maybe obvious) highlights are the Seimon Stone Bridge (正門石橋), which makes for good photo opportunities with one of the yagura in the same frame. This bridge is often thought to be the Nijū Bridge (二重橋), but actually that's an alternative name for the Seimon Iron Bridge (正門鉄橋), just behind the Stone Bridge. The stone cellar (石室 ishimuro) was also interesting: I don't think I've seen such a building before at a castle site. Another nice place is the 17th century three-storied Fujimi Yagura (富士見櫓), which functioned as the castle's main keep for some time. This makes one think: if the main keep of Hirosaki Castle was a simple yagura before it started being used as the main keep, then what exactly is the difference between Hirosaki and Edo Castle? It's not a far stretch to count Edo Castle among the twelve/thirteen 'original castles' then, is it?

When I visited Edo Castle, I could enter one of the buildings: the Fujimi Defence House (富士見多聞). The sign said it was the first public opening of the building (ever?) (初公開), but I could also imagine the sign hasn't been changed for some time. The interior was not exactly spectacular, but it is an original 17th century building and you're allowed to take pictures inside.

With this many surviving buildings and such an impressive moat, I would rate this as one of the top castle sites in Japan. It could be made even better if visitors would be allowed to enter more of the buildings. Located nearby and worth a visit are the National Diet and Tokyo Station. You can also watch gagaku performances inside the castle complex once a year (if you're lucky).
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EricShogun

73 months ago
Score 0++
I would completely agree. I would like to tell people Edo castle is my favorite castle, but most people would look at me like I was crazy ! The Fujimi Tamon Yagura has been open since last fall. It was added as a part of the tourism plan to make Tokyo more interesting for tourism heading into the Olympics. Edo Castle is so vast it's easy to miss some side trails and lookout points too. My favorite place is the Shimizu Gate. If you haven't been there check it out next time !
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Matthew WardGunshi

11 days ago
Score 0++

I have been making a similar point about the Fujimi Yagura for years. It seems that the definition of both 'tenshu' and 'genson' (badly translated as 'original' in English) have some variation in interpretation.

I really dislike the term 'original castle' anyway since it's misleading to assess how well-preserved a castle is based only on the keep, and Edo castle is a prime example of how limiting the term is.
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FurinkazanDaimyo

83 months ago
Score 0++
I arrived today in Japan. I visited the Sengakuji, the Zôjôji and made a new stroll on the grounds of Edojô. When you visit the Sengakuji(known for the graves of Asano and his 47 rônin). Enter the museum. There is a video of about 15min. The employee who sold me the ticket, put the english version. The nice thing for castle fans is the first part. You'll see a 3D model of Edojô with all its buildings, even the tenshukaku. They confirm that at the time of the Ako incident the tenshukaku had been destroyed by a fire and never rebuild. You see also some parts of the goten from the outside untill you reach the matsu roka, where the incident took place.
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ARTShogun

88 months ago
Score 0++
Question: What was the name of the bailey where the kokyo-gaien (outer garden) is today? It's surrounded by babasaki-bori and hibiya-bori moats.
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ARTShogun

96 months ago
Score 0++
Owch, that must have hurt
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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

96 months ago
Score 0++
Maybe if you're sneaky about it ;) When I was, ahem, caught taking photos despite the sign, the guard watched as I deleted each photo from my camera :(
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ARTShogun

96 months ago
Score 0++
Thanks, Eric! That is the building I heard about. It was recommended as a \good place to take pictures from"but I guess maybe not after all. """
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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

96 months ago
Score 0++

There may be more than one such building. Edo Castle is a pretty big place. I know the Palace Side Building (near Takebashi Station / Hirakawa Gate) has a nice view from that side. You can't take pictures though. The guards will get really grumpy. I work nearby and take my bento lunch here once in awhile. The last photograph in the link below shows the top of the building.

http://www.mai-b.co.jp/about/
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ARTShogun

96 months ago
Score 0++
So i heard there is a tallish building which for two hours daily opens its roof top for panoramic views of Edo castle. Does anybody know the details?
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FurinkazanDaimyo

96 months ago
Score 0++
I finally visited the eastern gardens today. The interesting parts are the moats, the teahouse and guardhouses. The rest is a nice park. The weather was nice today and i enjoyed strolling around.
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FurinkazanDaimyo

119 months ago
Score 0++
Since i was only visiting Tokyo for 2 days, i had to make a choice. Or visiting on sunday the Eastern gardens(closed on monday) or visiting today the palace grounds (closed on weekends). I decided to visit the palace grounds. I think it is more rewarding because you pass really next to the Fujimi-yagura and you see the Fushimi-yagura,which some parts are being restored. After the visit i did a complete tour around the park. There are alot of masugata-mon all over the place. It was really interesting. Next time i'll try to visit the eastern gardens.
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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

142 months ago
Score 0++
Sorry, I've never seen a souvenir coin for Edo Castle before.  I did a brief search on the net but I didn't see any either.  One father-son blog also said they wished there was such machine around Edo Castle.
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Anonymous user #1

143 months ago
Score 0++

Despite the grand name of the imperial palace and the fame of Edo Castle I found this a rather pointless place to visit. The moat is rather lovely and the contrast of this park surrounded by skyscrapers is interesting but overall...there's just nothing special to see.

Its a nice place to hang out if you live in central Tokyo but not a worthwhile place for visitors to go unless they've time to kill.
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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

157 months ago
Score 0++
Regarding earthquakes, Aizu Wakamatsu is pretty far from the coast and the center of the earthquake。From what I've read the castle has sustained no damage. I have friends who lived much closer in Fukushima with little or no damage. There was some significant damage at Shirakawa Castle to the stone walls also some stone walls crumbled at Aoba Castle in Sendai and there was some cosmetic damage to Shiroishi Castle.
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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

157 months ago
Score 0++

There is a group that has been trying to raise funds to rebuild the main keep for years, but I do not think they will ever succeed. It's just my theory, but ...such a huge keep would look directly down into the imperial family's home territory. I think they would consider it a privacy and security risk which is why the government has probably never supported the cause.

http://npo-edojo.org/
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Anonymous user #1

160 months ago
Score 0++
Passed daily on the way to work, always a luxurious sight. Visited regularly at lunchtime for a pleasant summer walk. Always activity, with improvements, excavations, and new signs on display to make return visits continually interesting.
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Jcastle.oldHatamoto

163 months ago
Score 0++
Kris, Stamps should be located in the 3 rest areas inside the castle grounds: Kitanomaru, Wadakura and Nanko rest areas.