Ieyasu,
the first Tokagawa shogunate, started building his palace here in 1590. His
successors made it the world's largest castle, though now only the inner circle
remains.According to mythology, Japan's first Emperor Jimmu was a descendant of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, and was enthroned in the year 660 BC. While myths are difficult to use to substantiate historical fact, it is a commonly accepted fact that emperors have reigned over Japan for more than 1500 years, and that they have all descended from the same imperial family.
The postwar constitution of 1946 dictates that the emperor has only a symbolic function. He now mainly participates at ceremonies and diplomatic meetings, but has no effective political power.
In 1989, Emperor Akihito became Japan's 125th emperor. He is married to Empress Michiko, the first empress who did not come from the nobility. Their eldest son is Crown Prince Naruhito. The imperial family resides in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Ieyasu,
the first Tokagawa shogunate, started building his palace here in 1590. His
successors made it the world's largest castle, though now only the inner circle
remains.
Located in Central Tokyo, the palace is an incredible oasis of green and quiet. On the left is a map of the palace complex. On the right was our first glimpse at the palace entrance.
The
palace is surrounded by a moat that is home to gigantic goldfish. I know they
have an actual name, but I think they are quite disgusting and will continue to
call them giant goldfish until someone else types the captions. They
really are huge and they come to the surface and suck giant mouthfuls of air and
water. Icky creatures to be sure, but the tourists sure seem to like them.
A
large field of shaped cedars lines one side of the palace complex. They're
beautiful, and I can only imagine how much time and care went into making each
one beautiful and perfect.
This
is more of those trees )just to give you an idea of how many of them are actually
there. The pic on the right shows you the trees in relation to downtown Tokyo.
A
high wall meets the moat and guards the inner palace ring. the wall itself is
both impressive and a work or art/engineering. On the right, there's a wonderful
building that was one a guard out post...a fort of sorts.
These
are pictures of a very famous bridge - the most famous landmark on property.
It's the same bridge taken from two different angles on two different days. It's
called the Nijubashi, and it's a double-arched stone bridge that was one
completed in 1888 and was one the palace's main entrance.
One
the left is the famous bridge up close. You can see some of the detailing on the
gate.
On the right is another, much smaller and less impressive bridge that's on the other side of the palace grounds.
These
are other views of features along the perimeter of the palace grounds. The
willows were quite beautiful.