East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (site of Edo Castle)
皇居東御苑 · 江戸城跡 · Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Edo Castle, built by Ōta Dōkan in 1457, later became the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns; today the Honmaru area is open free as a garden.
Know before you go
- No smoking, alcohol or drones in the gardens
- don't climb the stone walls other than the keep base
- don't enter fenced-off areas
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Ōta Dōkan's castle, Tokugawa Ieyasu's realm
In 1457 Ōta Dōkan, a retainer of the Uesugi family, the Kantō deputies, built a castle at Edo, digging moats and building walls; the following year he took Buddhist vows and the name 'Dōkan'. He is regarded as the founder of the castle town of Edo but was assassinated by his lord in 1486. More than a century later, in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi took Odawara and granted the eight Kantō provinces to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who made this by-then-derelict castle his base. In 1603 he founded the Edo shogunate, and Edo became the political centre of Japan until, after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the castle became the Imperial Palace.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
In 1457 Ōta Dōkan, a retainer of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi family, built Edo Castle here. After the Siege of Odawara in 1590 the castle was abandoned; when Tokugawa Ieyasu received the eight Kantō provinces from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he made Edo Castle his base. From 1603 it was the headquarters of the Tokugawa shogunate and the residence of the shoguns until 1867. After the Meiji Restoration, Edo Castle became the Imperial Palace. In 1968 parts of the former Honmaru, Ninomaru and Sannomaru were landscaped as the East Gardens and opened to the public on 1 October that year; the huge stone base of the castle keep still stands in the Honmaru area.
Local customs
- This is part of the Imperial Palace: there's a simple security check at the entrance, and visitors should keep quiet
- at New Year and on the Emperor's birthday the palace holds separate public greetings
Etiquette
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- No smoking, alcohol or drones in the gardens
- don't climb the stone walls other than the keep base
- don't enter fenced-off areas
Locals appreciate DO
Tokyo residents appreciate visitors who stroll quietly and keep off the lawns and flower beds.
Plan your visit
Practical info
| Best time | Morning |
|---|---|
| Time needed | 1.5 hours |
Travel tips
- Entry is free
- it's about a 10-minute walk from Tokyo Station to the Ōtemon Gate (Edo Castle's main gate)
- usually closed on Mondays and Fridays, and also on some holidays and during court events — check announcements from the Imperial Household Agency
- the Ninomaru garden's flowers are lovely in spring
Photos
Photos
Another Believer · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Guilhem Vellut · CC BY 2.0
Sources & verification notes
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