Description of the attraction
Fushimi Castle, built near Kyoto, also has a second name - Momoyama Palace, in honor of the mountain of the same name, on which it is located. It was built in 1594 by the military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who began the unification of Japanese lands. In fact, the castle is a museum that tells about the times of Hideyoshi's reign, and also represents the Momoyama era, rich in events in the political and cultural life of the country.
It was at this time (mid-16th - early 17th centuries) that castles and palaces began to be built, very well fortified on the outside and luxuriously decorated on the inside. These buildings performed not only protective functions, but were also supposed to symbolize the power and wealth of the shogun. Fushimi Castle, in particular, was built by Hideyoshi to negotiate with diplomats from China in order to end the Seven Years War in Korea. During the construction, the ruler did not skimp, twenty provinces provided labor for the work - about 30 thousand people built the castle in two years.
According to descriptions, the most notable area of the castle was the tea room, in which everything was covered with gold. Unfortunately, it has not survived. At the beginning of the 17th century, the castle was captured and later dismantled, its interior was taken apart, some rooms were moved to other Japanese castles and temples. Thus, the wooden floor of the castle became the ceiling of the Yogen-In Temple, which is currently located near the Kyoto National Museum. And traces of the golden tea room could not be found.
In September 1912, a funeral procession arrived in Kyoto, which brought the coffin with the body of Emperor Meiji to the former capital of Japan. He was buried in a tomb on the grounds of the former Fushimi castle.
In 1964, Fushimi Castle was rebuilt, but slightly away from its original location. The castle is surrounded by a park where the people of Kyoto can admire the cherry blossoms.
