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Nijō Castle

castle, Kyōto, Japan

Quick Summary

Nijō Castle is a castle in Kyoto, Japan, built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is known for its opulent architecture and "nightingale floors," designed to chirp when walked upon to alert guards of intruders. The castle served as the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns and was the site where the last shogun returned his authority to the emperor in 1867, marking the end of the Tokugawa period.12

The castle's interior features elaborate paintings by artists of the Kanō school and demonstrates the power and status of the shogunate during the Azuchi-Momoyama period.12

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