Nijo Castle

Castle Profile
English Name	Nijo Castle
Japanese Name	二条城
Founder	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Year Founded	1603
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Top 100 Castles, UNESCO World Heritage Site, has Important Cultural Properties, has National Treasures
Historical Period	Edo Period
Artifacts	Ninomaru Goten Kurumayose & Toozamurai, Ninomaru Goten Shikidai, Ninomaru Goten Ohiroma, Ninomaru Goten Kuroshoin, Ninomaru Goten Shiroshoin, Ninomaru Goten Sotetsunoma, Ninomaru Karamon, Southeast sumi yagura, Ninomaru Goten Tsuiji wall, Ninomaru Goten Daidokoro, Ninomaru Goten Okiyodokoro, North Otemon, West Gate, Southwest Sumi Yagura, North dozo, South dozo, Naruko Gate, Momoyama Gate, North Naka Shikirimon, South Naka Shikirimon, dozo and nagayamon gate, Southeast Sumi Yagura Northern Wall, East Otemon, Honmaru Yagura mon, Honmaru Goten Goshoin, Honmaru Goten Genkan, Honmaru Goten Daidokoro & Karinoma, Honmaru Otsune Goten
Features	gates, turrets, bridges, palace, water moats, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Kyoto Station, bus
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.city.kyoto.jp/bunshi/nijojo/
Location	Kyoto, Kyoto
Coordinates	35° 0' 50.62" N, 135° 44' 51.68" E
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Admin
Year Visited	1992, 2004, 2017, 2019
Contributor	Eric
Visits	July 1992; March 23, 2004; July 28, 2017; August 17, 2019
Added to Jcastle	1999

History

Nijo-jo began as a mansion built by Nobunaga in 1569. The castle Nijo-jo was erected in 1603 to be Tokugawa Ieyasu's headquarters when he was in Kyoto. The main keep was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1750. It was never rebuilt. Ieyasu's palace is filled with beautiful works of art and is very well preserved. The Ninomaru Palace was mainly used for administrative affairs and reflects this in the many offices and meeting rooms it contains. It is designated a National Treasure.

Visit Notes

Nijo Castle is a popular site for visitors to Kyoto but most don't realize that the palace was not the castle. They skip all the other artifacts and go straight to the ornate Karamon and then the palace. The entire compound along with the main keep (that no longer exists) would have been the castle. All those old gates and other buildings are important historical relics too. Nijo Castle provides something a little different If you get tired of visiting all the temples in town. Be sure to pay attention to the many original gates, storehouses, walls, turrets and other structures that also make this a magnificent castle ruin and must see for any castle fans.

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Gallery

Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru Palace
Southeast Corner Yagura
Southeast Corner Yagura
Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru Palace
Ninomaru Palace and gardens
Ninomaru Garden
Karamon Gate and tsuijibei walls
Karamon Gate
Karamon gate
Karamon gate
Karamon Gate
Karamon Gate
Karamon Gate
East Main Gate
East Main Gate
Supports for the walls next to the East Otemon
West bridge and moat
inner moat stone walls
Inner moat and main keep foundation
Stone walls of the West Bridge
Inside the Nishibashi gate
Honmaru gangi steps
Inner moat bridge and yagura
Honmaru and palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Honmaru Palace
Kita Nakashikirimon
Kita Otemon.
Heijuumon style gate of Ninomaru
Tsujibei walls
Minami Gate
Nishi Gate
Momoyama Gate
Momoyama Gate
Momoyama Gate
Minami Naka Shikirimon Gate
Minami Naka Shikirimon Gate
Southwest Storehouse
Southwest Storehouse
Honmaru East Gate
Honmaru East Gate
Inner moat and the Honmaru Higashimon gate
Narukomon Gate
storehouse and nagayamon of the ninomaru
Storehouse
Map of the castle grounds

More Galleries and Feature Pages

Nijo Castle East Main Gate (8 photos)

Nijo Castle Southeast Corner Yagura (8 photos)

4.28

(58 votes)

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Anonymous user #1

29 months ago

Score 1

I loved learning about the history and seeing the art inside. The garden was amazing and I got to see the boat rock in the pond that my teacher taught us about. The gates were also very impressive.

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SuupaahiirooAshigaru

29 months ago

Score 1

This is a great castle site. Visited for the second time this week (November 2017, the first time was in June 2014). Very crowded.

Of course the palace (goten) is magnificent. To commemorate the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, in one of the main rooms they have an impressive reconstruction (using life-size dolls) of the ceremony in which the last Tokugawa shogun gave up his power in favour of emperor Meiji.

I was also very surprised by the gates. There are many of them (nearly ten in total?), some small, some large. Most interesting to me is the fact that almost all gates look different and there are some very rare designs. Another unique (according to the signs at least) feature of this castle is the presence of two large earthen-walled storehouses.

For some reason the signs on the site claim that the palace is the only original in Japan. Being quite sure there are some others (Kawagoe, Kakegawa and Kōchi, four in total if I'm not mistaken), I went to the jimusho to inquire. They insisted this is the only original one, though. However, after some extra research online I'm all the more convinced of my initial assumption. I'm a bit fed up with all these superlatives being used wrongly, to be honest.

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EricShogun

29 months ago

Score 1

That's funny. Yes, you're absolutely right there are other original palaces, much smaller, but still original. Unfortunately, I've had very mixed experiences with some of these so called "staff" at bigger castle sites including one yesterday in Yamagata who gave me completely wrong information.

Indeed, I love all the gates at Nijo-jo too. I revisited last summer when they had the special exhibit of the interior of the Otemon and corner yagura. I still have lots of new photos to update here!

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ARTShogun

35 months ago

Score 0

No Tenshukaku (donjon) remains at Nijou-jou, but you can climb the stone works and see hundreds of carp in the hori (moat). There is a space in the middle of the complex where a yagura stood which overlooks the whole site, and is very scenic when the blossoms are out. There are still several walls, turrets and gates surrounding the complex. I particularly liked the bridges over the moat. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for much of the country's history. It was raided frequently. At one point the elites built their homes like mini-castles to protect from cultist upraisings or the armies of adventurous feudal lords. Now streets lined with castles, wouldn't that be something to see?

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JohnsonbPeasant

41 months ago

Score 0

Visited 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014

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FurinkazanHatamoto

48 months ago

Score 0

I visited this wonderful site again today. The great eastern gate is now being restored and completely under scaffolds. It remains the entrance to the castle. The exhibition hall was also closed, but we enjoyed the visit of the palace. I got my 100 meijô stamp under a tent to the right after entering the castle grounds.

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Kiddus i2003Gunshi

48 months ago

Score 0

Liked it very much more like a palace than a castle/fort.

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RaymondWHatamoto

93 months ago

Score 0

This is a great castle ruin to visit if you want to see one of the few extant castle palaces left in Japan. Other remaining ones from the Edo Period that I know of are at Kochi Castle, Kakegawa Castle and Kawagoe Castle Ruin. I took a friend who was visiting Japan here last weekend. There is a little bit of restoration work going on. The Karamon and parts of the walls surrounding the Ninomaru Palace are under wraps until 30th September 2013. The Ninomaru Palace remains unaffected and is business as usual. Also, there is a drive by the castle staff asking for donations to raise funds for preservation and restoration work.

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A22cricketAshigaru

108 months ago

Score 0

Original castle in all of it's drafty splendor. The intentionally squeaky floor competes with the rattle of the wooden doors for noise awards. The details are subtle but great. Best suggestion is to look all around as you walk down the corridors.

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UsagiAshigaru

112 months ago

Score 0

An unique and interesting style, with a very Japanese feel. Seeing the old foundations and a moat, make this well populated gardens castle a great visit.

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JamesPeasant

112 months ago

Score 0

If I remember correctly (it has been a few years) but the excellent Nijo Jinya is quite close to the castle and certainly worth a visit while you are in the area. This privately owned ‘ninja house’ was originally an inn that housed important visitors to Kyoto and features a great number of traps, secret rooms and tricks that were used to spy on (and sometimes assassinate) customers. Tours had to be booked quite some time in advance but even for those with little language skills everything is visual enough to fully understand with some (painful) demonstrations of how things worked.

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FurinkazanHatamoto

129 months ago

Score 0

I visited this one 5 years ago and last year. This is a real beauty. Certainly worth it's 5 stars.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Nijo Castle
Japanese Name	二条城
Founder	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Year Founded	1603
Castle Type	Flatland
Castle Condition	No main keep but other buildings
Designations	Top 100 Castles, UNESCO World Heritage Site, has Important Cultural Properties, has National Treasures
Historical Period	Edo Period
Artifacts	Ninomaru Goten Kurumayose & Toozamurai, Ninomaru Goten Shikidai, Ninomaru Goten Ohiroma, Ninomaru Goten Kuroshoin, Ninomaru Goten Shiroshoin, Ninomaru Goten Sotetsunoma, Ninomaru Karamon, Southeast sumi yagura, Ninomaru Goten Tsuiji wall, Ninomaru Goten Daidokoro, Ninomaru Goten Okiyodokoro, North Otemon, West Gate, Southwest Sumi Yagura, North dozo, South dozo, Naruko Gate, Momoyama Gate, North Naka Shikirimon, South Naka Shikirimon, dozo and nagayamon gate, Southeast Sumi Yagura Northern Wall, East Otemon, Honmaru Yagura mon, Honmaru Goten Goshoin, Honmaru Goten Genkan, Honmaru Goten Daidokoro & Karinoma, Honmaru Otsune Goten
Features	gates, turrets, bridges, palace, water moats, stone walls, walls
Visitor Information
Access	Kyoto Station, bus
Visitor Information
Time Required
Website	http://www.city.kyoto.jp/bunshi/nijojo/
Location	Kyoto, Kyoto
Coordinates	35° 0' 50.62" N, 135° 44' 51.68" E
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Admin
Year Visited	1992, 2004, 2017, 2019
Contributor	Eric
Visits	July 1992; March 23, 2004; July 28, 2017; August 17, 2019
Added to Jcastle	1999