Description of the attraction
Kyoto Gosho, or Imperial Palace, served as the residence of the imperial family until the transfer of the Japanese capital from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1868. Emperor Meiji retained this building, but mothballed it in 1877. However, after Meiji's death, the Taisho and Showa emperors in 1912 and 1926, respectively, were crowned at the imperial palace in Kyoto. The current emperor Akihito was crowned in Tokyo.
The history of this building began at the end of the 7th century after Heian (the former name of Kyoto) became the capital of the Japanese state. Its construction began in 794 in the central part of the city. In the period from the 7th to the 12th century, the palace burned down several times, but it was completely restored. Also, reconstruction was carried out due to the deterioration of the building.
Usually, during the renovation, the emperor's residence was moved to one of the temporary palaces belonging to the Japanese nobility. The Imperial Palace in Kyoto was just one of these temporary palaces, and only became a permanent residence in the 14th century.
Several rulers had a hand in the appearance of the palace. So, in 1569, Odu Nobunaga erected the main royal chambers, his successors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu expanded the palace squares. And in 1789, the chairman of the shogunate government, Matsudaira Sadanobu, carried out a partial restoration, constructing several buildings in the Heian style. The last reconstruction of the building took place in 1855 after another fire, and since then the appearance of the palace has not changed dramatically.
The palace complex is located in the Kamigyo area. It is surrounded by a wall, behind which are gardens and several buildings. The entire territory was named the Imperial Park. The complex includes the main throne room of Sishing, the halls of the empress, princes and princesses, the palace of the empress mother, the small palace of Kogosho, the imperial pond and other objects.
