In front of you is the most classic view in Tokyo: the moat, the bridges and a white turret among the pines. Behind the trees lives the Emperor of Japan, on the site that for more than two centuries was occupied by the shoguns' castle.

1From castle to palace

In 1868 the Tokugawa shogunate fell. That same year Edo was renamed Tokyo, ‘eastern capital’, and the young Emperor Meiji moved from Kyoto into the old castle. The palace built afterwards burned down in the air raids of May 1945; the present one was completed in 1968. The inner grounds are only opened to the public on special occasions, such as the New Year greeting.

2Which is the ‘double bridge’?

Many people believe that Nijūbashi, ‘double bridge’, owes its name to the fact that you can see two bridges. The one in front, made of stone with two arches, was completed in 1887. The one behind is the iron bridge of the main gate, rebuilt in 1964. The name actually came from that rear bridge: the old wooden version had two levels of beams, one on top of the other. Over time, the name has come to be applied to the whole scene.

According to tradition, the Fushimi Turret was brought here from Fushimi Castle in Kyoto; there is no conclusive evidence of that move.

3What to look for

  • The Fushimi Turret, one of the few turrets of Edo Castle still standing.
  • The lamp posts on the stone bridge, copies of the Meiji-era originals.
  • The reflection of the arches in the water of the moat.
The stone bridge, the iron bridge behind it and Fushimi turret
Behind the stone bridge rises the iron one, the original “double bridge”, below Fushimi turret.

Documented

The stone bridge dates from 1887, the iron bridge was rebuilt in 1964, and the present palace was completed in 1968 after the previous one was destroyed in 1945.

Oral tradition

That the Fushimi Turret came from Fushimi Castle is a tradition without documentary confirmation.

Sources and credits

Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō), information on the Imperial Palace; Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Kōkyo Gaien National Garden; Donald Keene, ‘Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World’ (2002).

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