Edo Castle

Edo Castle was founded in 1457 by the samurai commander Ota Dokan on the site of a fortified Edo manor on the northern shore of Tokyo Bay. In 1590 it was rebuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the shogunate. During the XVII-XIX centuries it was the main citadel of the Edo Shogunate, the central residence of 15 generations of Tokugawa Shoguns.

Since 1869, Edo Castle has been the location of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It repeatedly suffered from fires and was restored, and in 1868, during the Civil War, it was transferred without a fight to the Imperial government troops. The main tower was burned by lightning in the XIX century. Part of the castle was damaged during the bombing of Tokyo in 1945.

Today, stone walls, ditches, several buildings and gates of the castle are preserved, and the Imperial Palace is located in the Western Courtyard, part is set aside for the Castle Park, free for visiting. The North Courtyard houses the Palace of Martial Arts of Japan and the National Archives of Japan

The length from north to south is 3.5 kilometers, from west to east - 5.5 kilometers.