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I'm still in Beijing but glad to have saved some of my previous photos in USB as I still don't have a China photo ready for upload.
Nijo Castle's legendary Ninomaru Garden and it's koi pond, which is lined with decorative boulders gathered throughout all corners of Japan, were designed in 1626 on the castle grounds for Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa (Edo) shogunate (1603–1867). If you have read James Clavell's novel "Shogun" or watched the Shogun TV series, you're already familiar with Tokugawa Ieyasu because Clavell based the warlord 'Lord Toranaga' on him.)
Lord Tokugawa unified Japan in 1600, following twenty six years of civil war at the end of the 16th century. In 1601 he directed Japan's daimyos (feudal lords) to construct Nijo Castle as his Kyoto residence in a location very close to the Imperial Palace.
The castle grounds, completed in 1603 (amazingly after only two years!), are spectacular, covering 68 acres (27.5 hectares) which include 86,000 sq ft (8,000 sq m) of buildings including two palaces, ponds, rock gardens, and inner- and outer moats. It is now a World Heritage Site.
Upon completion, Tokugawa moved in and hosted a ceremony wherein Japan's Emperor announced to the gathered feudal lords his appointment of Tokugawa as Shogun. Tokugawa's main residence and his new seat of government was in Edo (now called Toyko), so this huge Nijo Castle was akin to his 'country home' used primarily whenever he visited the emperor in the Imperial Capital.
In 1614 the shogun led his samurai army from Nijo Castle on his victorious Siege of Osaka Castle which ended the line of the Toyotomi family, his last political opposition, and established himself as the absolute polical ruler of Japan. His shogunate lasted two hundred sixty four years. In 1857 the 15th Shogun of his line, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, ended shogunate rule and returned political control to the Emperor as Japan opened to the world.
Reflection of clouds in the moat of the Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
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Nijo-Jo (Nijo Castle) UNESCO World Heritage site
Nijo-Jo is located in Kyoto Japan and was built in 1603. The castle was built for Tokugawa Ieyasu founder of the Edo Shogunate and served as his residence while he was in Kyoto. The Shogun spent most of his time in the East and mainly used this castle as a place to show his immense power to the people of the Kansai region of Japan.
Nijo-Jo has a large garden with a number of rocks that are faced in an upright position symbolizing power. Leaves and Flowers were never left on the ground as it was considered to be a bad omen and a reminder of death.
Great strides were taken to prevent betrayal from within including uguisu bari (nightingale floors) which made a chirping sound when walked upon and hidden rooms for guards could be found throughout the complex. Ninja were deployed in the garden and posed as gardeners with a signal from the Shogun they would quickly come to his assistance.
2022
Pray for Ukraine
Nijo Castle / Kyoto Japan
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二条城の静謐な空間に立つ、アンゼルム・キーファーの重厚な世界。「現代アートは、解釈を観る者に委ねるもの」、僕は驚きと畏怖をこの一枚に表した。
The profound world of Anselm Kiefer stands in the tranquil space of Nijo Castle. It is said that "modern art is something that leaves the interpretation up to the viewer." So I expressed surprise and awe in this piece.
copper cladding to the base of the door in the outer defence wall
cropped and slid for clarity and colour, HSS