Right now, I’m far from home again, this time with friends-slash-colleagues, and we’re hitting the scene down south. Of course, it is primarily for work, but you know me (and my crowd, haha!). Somewhere in there, we’re squeezing in some fun non-work times. But that’s not what this post is about. This time, I am taking you inside the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
So, earlier, when we entered the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, we passed by the Kyoto Office Imperial Household Agency. It serves as the tourist information agency or reception area, so to speak. Here, guests come in, take a number (literally) and get slots for the English-speaking Guided Tour of the Palace. I think there were also other languages available; I was pretty sure the next counter was for French.
Oh, and are you wondering how much we have to pay in order to get in on the tour?
Nada. Zilch. Zero. FREE.
Sweet, eh?
It was not yet even 12 noon, but the next tour was for 2pm. So we made sure to sign up for that.
After our blunder at the Omiya Palace (they should have signs, haha!) we raced towards the only open gate of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, where a group of middle-aged guards were smiling at us, motioning us to go right in.
We entered through the Seisho-mon Gate, and were directed to the Waiting Room… which is really a long building with lots of benches inside… and seated were a large group of guests who also signed up for the tour. I was actually surprised, because WHERE DID ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM? We didn’t even see them while walking around earlier!
This radiant-faced lady stood up front and welcomed everyone in very good English. (I wish I could remember her name, but I no longer couldn’t.) We were directed to leave any stuff we don’t want to carry around in the many lockers provided (usage of the lockers is also free), and she spoke a bit about the historical background of the Palace.
The Kyoto Imperial Palace started out to be one of the residences of the aristocracy where the Emperor used to move into while the actual Imperial Palace at the time was being rebuilt. Of course, wherever the Emperor was living at the time was known as the de facto Imperial Palace. This place was where the Emperor stayed in the most, so it was known as the Imperial Palace, until the capital of Japan was moved to Tokyo in 1969. There, the Emperor transferred residences to the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Just like much of the structures I’ve visited so far, this place also fell under ruin and destruction many times, and had to be rebuilt. The last major reconstruction was in 1854, during the Tokugawa Shogunate.
We then started the tour along the parts that are open to the public.
We passed through the Okurumayose, which was the entrance that was used by courtiers and dignitaries who have special permission for official visits to the Palace precincts. Yep, there are respective entrances, depending on your class/status.
Then we arrived at the Shodaibunoma.
The Shodaibunoma is a building that served as the Waiting Area of the courtiers or dignitaries who are paying official visits to the Palace. So they enter through the Okurumayose, and head straight here to rest, or wait for their turn to have an audience to whoever they are having official business with in the Palace.
This building is divided into three rooms: the Tiger Room, the Crane Room, and the Cherry Room.
The rooms are characterized by fusuma sliding doors, on which were painted the figures that befit the room.
So this, here, is the Crane Room, with cranes painted on the walls and doors.
And this is the Tiger Room. Obviously, with tigers.
The cherry in the Cherry Room pertains to the sakura or cherry blossom trees.
Next, we passed by the Shinmikurumayose, a structure built as a new carriage entrance purposefully for the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Taisho in 1915.
Look at that gate. Those horses drawing the carriages must have felt mighty royal while passing through these entrances.
And here’s our very nice and friendly guide.
Also, spot the chrysanthemum again. It’s really seriously incorporated into their design and architecture.
Adjacent to the Shinmikurumayose is the Gekkamon Gate. And this is where I started to develop a liking for the color orange. 🙂
The Gekkamon Gate is the eastern entrance to the Shishinden, or the main part of the Palace.
We passed by the Kenrei-mon Gate, which is the MAIN gate into the Palace. But it is closed because it’s the other entrance that is being used for guests.
So, when you are coming in from outside, you’ll go through the Kenrei-mon Gate, then immediately come face to face with another gate, which leads to the inner sanctum, so to speak, of the Palace. It is the Jomeimon Gate.
Enter through the Jomeimon Gate and you will behold the Shishinden.
The Shishinden is the most important building in the Palace grounds. It is here where important ceremonies such as enthronements take place. It has a white sand-and-gravel garden (the Dantei) sprawled before it, so I can only imagine how stately the ceremonies here are.
Notice from the pic above that there were some reconstruction going on, so we weren’t allowed by the guide to go close. I’m not sure if you can spot the two trees on both sides of the building?
The tree on the left is a cherry tree, and the one on the right is a tachibana orange tree.
The building is one-storey and follows the architectural principles of the irimoya, which is characterized by gabled roofs and high flooring. The whole structure is said to be purely made of wood.
There are 18 steps from the ground up to the main entrance.
See that framed hanging over the main entrance? It is said to be an item that has survived the fire back in 1854. It is actually a slatted piece of flooring, which is composed of six planks of wood. It is now framed and presented as such.
You can see only a glimpse in this picture, because they are partly hidden by the raised platform and the “mini-curtains”, but there are two structures at the center of the Shishinden.
These are the Imperial thrones: the Takamikura (for the Emperor) and the Michodai (for the Empress).
By the way, I mentioned how wood is a major material used here, right? That’s right.
Our guide proudly spoke about the hiwada, or layers of bark of the Japanese cypress tree, which is said to be a very strong and versatile wood. Well, these layers are what you see on the roofs of the Shishinden and all other structures in the palace grounds. There are model roofs next to the Nikkamon Gate, the western gate to the Shishinden.
We hung around a bit by the Nikkamon Gate, and look at how diverse the touring group is!
Right across the Nikkamon Gate is the Kenshunmon Gate, which is another gate that leads outside of the Palace. If this were open, and it can be used as an exit point, you will immediately come up to the Omiya Palace, which is just adjacent to it.
And there, from afar, is the Shunkoden, also known as the “Sacred Mirror Hall”. This is where the sacred mirror used for the enthronement of Emperor Taisho in 1915 is kept. Unfortunately, it’s not open for viewing.
Look who else is on a tour!
The tour was quite lengthy, so I’ll stop for now, and we’ll continue this in the next post. See ya then!