Japan's Historical Places Part 3

Imperial Palace

Site of Edo Castle with Remaining Moats and Stone Walls  
The Imperial Palace sits in the center of Tokyo, on the site of the Edo Castle where the Shogunate (the government established by the military class) was located in the Edo period (1603-1868). Except for January 2 and the Emperor's Birthday (currently December 23) when public is allowed to the Imperial Palace to offer their congratulations, the general public are not allowed to enter the Emperor's residence. However, the gardens of the palace such as the Outer Garden (Kokyo Gaien), the East Garden (Higashi Gyoen), and Kitanomaru Park have been maintained as parks, and today these public gardens provide places of recreation and relaxation for the citizens of Tokyo.  
Ieyasu Tokugawa became the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603 and started rebuilding the Edo Castle as a symbol of the political and economic center of the nation. Rebuilding continued through successive generations, and by 1710, under the reign of the 6th Shogun Ienobu, the castle had become the largest in Japan surrounded by double moats and with an area that extended about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from east to west and about 3.9 kilometers (2.4 miles) from north to south. Several of the original turrets and gates remain as they were or have been restored to their original state, and the stone walls and moats remain mostly intact.  
  
The East Garden marks where the keep of the castle that housed the central government offices and the residence of the shogun stood. Although the buildings of the keep were destroyed by fire in 1657, their structural ruins remain. The Outer Garden to the southeast of the palace is spacious, and looking toward the palace from the garden's side of the main gate, you can still see the remaining Fushimi Turret, a watchtower of the old castle, over the double-arched stone bridge. In Kitanomaru Park on the north side, there are various public facilities such as Nihon Budokan (martial arts stadium, also used for other sports and cultural events), the National Museum of Modern Art and Science Museum. The park is also famous for its cherry blossoms in spring.


 Shuri Castle


Ruins of Castle with Strong Chinese Influence, Unique to Okinawa 

Shuri Castle, whose ruins remain in Naha City of Okinawa Prefecture, is said to date back to the 12th century or earlier. After several hundred years of rivalry between warlords, Okinawa islands were unified as the Ryukyu Kingdom in the early 15th century. For 450 years thereafter, Shuri castle had been the palace of the King of Ryukyu. Being an independent kingdom situated between Japan and China, Okinawa, then Ryukyu, Shuri Castle developed in an architectural style different from that of castles in mainland Japan. Reflecting Okinawa's active exchange with China in the 14th century, Chinese influence can be seen in the construction techniques of the castle. From the 18th century when the region came to have relationships with Japan, Korea, and other neighboring countries, some buildings were built reflecting the architectural styles of these countries. 
The castle boasted a 60,000-square meter (71,754-square yard) compound at the peak of its prosperity. Just before the Second World War, it still covered 46,000 square meters (55,011 square yards) with maximum axes of 400 meters (1,312 feet) from east to west and 270 meters (886 feet) from north to south. The castle complex at that time was surrounded by solid stone walls, and many national-treasure class buildings including the symbolic Seiden (main pavilion) and the Shurei-mon (the second gate) soared imposingly. During the war, however, not only those buildings but also the stone walls were completely demolished. Today, the Kankai-mon (the main gate), the Shurei-mon, the Seiden, and other buildings have been restored to their original state, and the site has been made into a historical park.

The Shurei-mon is best known as an architectural structure unique to Okinawa and is sometimes referred to as a symbol of Okinawa. The gate is the second one along the route up to the castle, while the first and main gate stood lower, having the same shape and size as the Shurei-mon: The two gates also used to be called "Ue no Torii" (the upper gate) and "Shita no Torii" (the lower gate) respectively.

Source : http://web-japan.org/atlas/historical/histr_fr.html