Nijo Castle
二条城
The Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Ninomaru Palace features 'nightingale floors' and Kano school wall paintings, and it is the site of the Restoration of Imperial Rule. UNESCO World Heritage.
Nijo Castle was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu during his visits to the capital as shogun. In 1867, the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, announced the 'Restoration of Imperial Rule' here, ending the Edo shogunate. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. The core is the Ninomaru Palace (a National Treasure). Six buildings are arranged in a staggered formation with 33 rooms and more than 800 tatami mats. The corridor floors, known as 'nightingale floors', produce birdlike chirping when stepped on, a security feature to alert guards to intruders. Inside are wall paintings of pine trees, eagles, tigers, and cherry blossoms by Kano school artists, including Kano Tan'yū. The originals are rotated in the exhibition gallery, and the rooms display replicas. The Grand Hall recreates the scene of the Restoration of Imperial Rule. The Ninomaru Garden is a pond-and-stroll garden in the style of Kobori Enshū. The Honmaru Palace, restored and reopened in 2024, was originally the Katsura Palace in the Kyoto Imperial Palace grounds, a rare example of a branch-family residence. It requires a separate ticket. The castle walls and the tenshu stone base around the Honmaru offer views from above. Admission to the castle and Ninomaru Palace costs 1,300 yen, and the Honmaru Palace costs an extra 1,000 yen (reservations required). Audio guides are available in Chinese. Plan 1.5 to 2 hours for your visit. Photography is not allowed inside the palace, and you must remove your shoes. It is a 15-minute walk from the Nijojo-mae subway station on the Tozai Line, or take bus No. 9 or 50 from Kyoto Station. It can be combined on the same day with the Kyoto Imperial Palace (free, with registration at the gate) and Nishiki Market. Note: the castle is closed December 29 to 31 and on certain Tuesdays, so check the official website before you go. Inside the palace it can be stuffy in summer.
Opening hours
08:45–17:00 (last entry 16:00); Ninomaru Palace 08:45–16:10
Nearby sights
- Kyoto Imperial Palace
- Nishiki Market
- Kitano Tenmangu
- Nishi Hongan-ji
- Pontocho
- Kyoto Railway Museum
- Gion & Hanamikoji Street
- Kyoto Tower