Japan Trip (2) - Nijo Castle and the Nightingale Floor
So next up in Nijo Palace. N we’ll let the tourist brochure take over first (I’ll take too long to explain):
"Nijo Castle (二条城, Nijōjō) was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). His grandson Iemitsu completed the castle's palace buildings 23 years later and further expanded the castle by adding a five story castle keep.
After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, Nijo Castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened up to the public as a historic site. Its palace buildings are arguably the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan's feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994."
The Ninomaru Palace served as the residence and office of the shogun during his visits to Kyoto. Surviving in its original form, the palace consists of multiple separate buildings that are connected with each other by corridors with so called nightingale floors, as they squeak when stepped upon as a security measure against intruders (“or if anyone visit mistress. It’s quite cool actually, and a very sweet alarm sound”). The palace rooms are tatami mat covered and feature elegantly decorated ceilings and beautifully painted sliding doors (fusuma).
In some rooms they included mannequins to depict life in the palace. I wish they preserved the furniture though, the place looks like an empty void deck with fantastic murals now.
Gardens were very beautifully maintained and of course we had to take pics in it. Hahhaha I liked this one of Guoli taking me posing so kept it here!!!
This castle is definitely well worth it's time to visit and it's in the heart of the city so it's not hard to reach. Now where do I get those nightingale flooring too?
"Nijo Castle (二条城, Nijōjō) was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). His grandson Iemitsu completed the castle's palace buildings 23 years later and further expanded the castle by adding a five story castle keep.
After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, Nijo Castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened up to the public as a historic site. Its palace buildings are arguably the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan's feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994."
The Ninomaru Palace served as the residence and office of the shogun during his visits to Kyoto. Surviving in its original form, the palace consists of multiple separate buildings that are connected with each other by corridors with so called nightingale floors, as they squeak when stepped upon as a security measure against intruders (“or if anyone visit mistress. It’s quite cool actually, and a very sweet alarm sound”). The palace rooms are tatami mat covered and feature elegantly decorated ceilings and beautifully painted sliding doors (fusuma).
In some rooms they included mannequins to depict life in the palace. I wish they preserved the furniture though, the place looks like an empty void deck with fantastic murals now.
Gardens were very beautifully maintained and of course we had to take pics in it. Hahhaha I liked this one of Guoli taking me posing so kept it here!!!
This castle is definitely well worth it's time to visit and it's in the heart of the city so it's not hard to reach. Now where do I get those nightingale flooring too?