East Garden of the Imperial Palace

The Oriental Gardens are part of the castle’s defensive fortifications that existed during the Edo period (1603-1867). There were two defensive circles: Honmaru (main circle) and Nihonmaru (second circle). To date, the main buildings of that period have not been preserved in the Eastern Gardens, but visitors can see the fortified moats, walls, gates and several gatehouses. Edo Castle was the residence not only of the Tokugawa Shoguns, but also of Emperor Meiji. On the lawn of the central hill, the remains of the foundation of the former palace are still visible. The castle was a typical castle of that era and differed little from the preserved Osaka-jo. But the main tower of the ruined Edo Castle (built in 1638) was considered the highest in Japanese history. But it was destroyed only a few years later, in 1657 it was destroyed during the famous "Fire of Edo".