Nijo-jo or Nijo castle as it is better known, is one of the many sites in Kyoto city which has both impressive architecture and gardens including a number of cultural heritage treasures. The moated castle was constructed in the early 17th century by the Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first of the Tokugawa shoguns who unified Japan, with all it’s feudal fiefdoms. Some of the structures were moved from Fushimi in the south western part of the city. The last Tokugawa shogun returned sovereignty to the Emperor in 1867 along with the castle, which in 1939 was handed over to the city of Kyoto. The castle has extensive grounds and the surviving buildings include the Ninomaru Palace and gardens, the modern Seiryu-en garden and the Honmaru. (more…)