Former Imperial Villa Nijo-jo Castle

The Karamon Gate is the front gate to the Ninomaru Palace and underwent extensive restoration work which was completed in 2013. The gate, with its impressive roof made of cypress bark, has four thick pillars bearing different carvings with amazing designs, such as butterflies with camellias, dragons and tigers. This National Important Cultural Property is open to the public on a regular basis.

There are six sections in the Ninomaru Palace, each of which has exquisite paintings on the sliding doors and partitions. These artworks are believed to have been created by the Kano School during the 15th to 19th centuries, the largest artist group of Japanese painting. Their style, as well as that for their elaborate carvings, exhibits the extravagance befitting the palace of the shogun and transcends the culture of that time to the present, giving the rooms the look of an art museum. The Chokushi-no-ma in the photo is a room in the Tozamurai section, which was used to receive messengers from the Imperial court. Its doors and walls have outstanding pictures of cypress and green maple trees.