Tokyo Imperial Palace

• 1. Edo Castle Origins

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  On the night of the 5th of May 1873, a fire consumed the Nishinomaru Palace. This structure had served as the residence for the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu before he vacated the premises following the Meiji Restoration. The Emperor arrived at Edo Castle on the 26th of November 1868, and renamed it Tokyo Imperial Palace. He left for Kyoto again but returned on the 9th of May 1869, when the city name officially changed to Tokyo. Previous fires had already destroyed the Honmaru area containing the old donjon in the 1657 Meireki fire. The new imperial palace was constructed on the site where the Nishinomaru Palace once stood in 1888. A non-profit group founded in 2004 aims to reconstruct at least the main donjon based on old documents. Naotaka Kotake stated that the capital city needs a symbolic building to restore historical glory.

• 2. Meiji Era Architecture

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  The buildings of the Imperial Palace constructed during the Meiji era were made primarily of wood. Their design employed traditional Japanese architecture in their exterior appearance while interiors featured an eclectic mixture of fashionable Japanese and European elements. The ceilings of grand chambers were coffered with Japanese elements yet Western chairs, tables, and heavy curtains furnished these spaces. Floors of public rooms had parquets or carpets while residential spaces used traditional tatami mats. The main audience hall served as the central part of the palace and was the largest building in the compound. Guests received there for public events occupied floor space exceeding 223 tsubo. The roof style resembled the Kyoto Imperial Palace but utilized fireproof copper plates instead of Japanese cypress shingles. In the late Taishō and early Shōwa period, concrete buildings like headquarters of the Imperial Household Ministry appeared with only token Japanese elements.

• 3. War Time Destruction

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  On the night of the 25th of May 1945, most structures of the Imperial Palace were destroyed during Allied firebombing raids on Tokyo. US bomber pilot Richard Lineberger claimed the Emperor's Palace was targeted by a special mission on the 29th of July 1945 using 2000-pound bombs. August 1945 marked the closing days of the Pacific War when Emperor Hirohito met with his Privy Council inside an underground air-raid shelter on the palace grounds. This location became known as the Fukiage Garden area where decisions culminating in Japan's surrender were made. The large-scale destruction of the Meiji-era palace necessitated new construction efforts decades later. Most structures from the Edo Castle disappeared due to earthquakes, fires, or deliberate clearing for other buildings. Wooden bridges over moats were replaced with stone and iron alternatives during this turbulent era.

• 4. Modern Reconstruction

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  A new palace complex was constructed between 1964 and 1968 under architect Junzō Yoshimura. The Kyūden was completed in 1968 and put into use starting April 1969. It features traditional Japanese architectural beauty including large roofs, columns, and beams with most materials sourced domestically. The building spans 24,175 square meters across seven wings connected by steel-framed reinforced concrete structures produced within Japan. Construction work began in 1961 with a new pond added to the Ninomaru section alongside repairs to various keeps from the Edo period. The Takenaka Corporation built these modernist structures featuring clear Japanese references like gabled hipped roofs. Six wings include the Seiden State Function Hall, Hōmeiden State Banquet Hall, Chōwaden Reception Hall, Rensui Dining Room, Chigusa Chidori Drawing Room, and the Emperor's work office. Famous Nihonga artists such as Maeda Seison painted artworks inside these halls.

• 5. Public Access Protocols

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  Except for the Imperial Household Agency and East Gardens, main palace grounds remain generally closed to the public. Reserved guided tours operate only from Tuesdays to Saturdays accessing just the Kyūden Totei Plaza area before the Chowaden. Each New Year on January 2 and Emperor's Birthday on February 23, the public enters through Nakamon inner gate gathering in Kyūden Totei Plaza. The Imperial Family appears on balconies where the Emperor delivers short speeches greeting visitors and wishing them good health. Parts of Fukiage Garden sometimes open to general public access though most areas stay restricted. Multiple instances occurred when tourists attempted trespassing by swimming across moats despite security measures. A British tourist stripped naked in 2008 diving repeatedly into water while using stones and plastic poles against staff officers. Two drunken tourists tried sneaking into buildings after removing clothing near Sakurada Gate in 2013.

• 6. Gardens And Gardens

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  The East Gardens encompass former Honmaru and Ninomaru areas covering a total area designated as Special Historic Relic since the 30th of May 1963 under Cultural Properties Protection Law. Symbolic trees representing each prefecture number 260 varieties planted in northwestern corner of Ninomaru enceinte donated from all regions. Small Ninomaru Garden at foot of castle hill originally planted in 1636 by landscape artist Kobori Enshu destroyed by fire in 1867 before current layout created in 1968 based on plans from ninth shogun Tokugawa Ieshige. Suwa no Chaya teahouse moved during Edo period reconstruction completed in 1912 then relocated again during East Garden construction phase. Kitanomaru Park located north serves as public park hosting Nippon Budokan Hall site containing bronze monument to historical figures. Kokyo Gaien National Garden consists outer gardens ringing Imperial Palace featuring bronze monuments dedicated to notable individuals.