Edo Castle
Edo Castle (江戸城,Edo-jō?),also known as Chiyoda Castle (千代田城,Chiyoda-jō?),is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan.It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo,then known as Edo,Toshima District,Musashi Province.Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here.It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate,and also functioned as the military capital during the Edo period of Japanese history.After the vacation of the shogun and the Meiji Restoration,it became the Tokyo Imperial Palace.Some moats,walls and ramparts of the castle survive to this day.However,the grounds were much more extensive during the Edo period,with Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi section of the city lying within the outermost moat.It also encompassed Kitanomaru Park,the Nippon Budokan Hall and other landmarks of the surrounding area.
Type Flatland
Built 1457
Built by Ōta Dōkan,Tokugawa Ieyasu
Construction
materials granite stone,earthwork,wood
In use 1457-1868,then from 1868-1873
Demolished The tenshu (keep) was destroyed by fire in 1657,most of the rest was destroyed by another major fire on 5 May 1873,and during World War II.
Current
condition Mostly ruins,parts reconstructed after World War II.Site today of Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Controlled by Imperial Household Agency
Occupants Tokugawa shoguns,Japanese emperors and imperial family since the Meiji era