contributor
26,977
edits
Changes
→History
The castle then became the center of shogunal residence & rule, from [[1603]] onwards. It suffered severe damage from fire on a number of occasions, perhaps most grievously in the [[1657]] [[Great Meireki Fire]], when the ''tenshu'' (main keep) was destroyed; the ''tenshu'' was never rebuilt.
The castle then became the center of shogunal residence & rule, from [[1603]] onwards. It suffered severe damage from fire on a number of occasions, perhaps most grievously in the [[1657]] [[Great Meireki Fire]], when the ''tenshu'' (main keep) was destroyed; the ''tenshu'' was never rebuilt.
The castle was guarded chiefly by the [[Koshôgumi]] (Inner Guard) and [[Shoinban]] (Bodyguards), who also defended the shogun himself when outside of the castle. Along with the [[Oban|Ôban]] (Great Guard) who guarded [[Nijo castle|Nijô]] and [[Osaka castle]]s, they constituted the three chief shogunate guard units. The commanders of these three units were selected from the highest-ranking ''[[hatamoto]]'', but wielded little political power.<ref>Mitani Hiroshi, David Noble (trans.), ''Escape from Impasse'', International House of Japan (2006), xxx.</ref>
The castle burnt down again in [[1873]], and the [[Meiji Emperor]], his Empress, and the [[Imperial Household Ministry]] relocated to the [[Akasaka Temporary Palace]] until [[1888]], when the castle's reconstruction as the Tokyo Imperial Palace was complete.<ref>Takashi Fujitani, Splendid Monarchy, University of California Press (1996), 66-67.</ref> In the intervening time before reconstruction began, the area in and around the castle grounds became overgrown with vegetation, and overrun with wildlife including foxes and badgers. One former retainer of [[Satsuma han]] lamented that it was "unbearable to look at."<ref>Fujitani, 41.</ref>
The castle burnt down again in [[1873]], and the [[Meiji Emperor]], his Empress, and the [[Imperial Household Ministry]] relocated to the [[Akasaka Temporary Palace]] until [[1888]], when the castle's reconstruction as the Tokyo Imperial Palace was complete.<ref>Takashi Fujitani, Splendid Monarchy, University of California Press (1996), 66-67.</ref> In the intervening time before reconstruction began, the area in and around the castle grounds became overgrown with vegetation, and overrun with wildlife including foxes and badgers. One former retainer of [[Satsuma han]] lamented that it was "unbearable to look at."<ref>Fujitani, 41.</ref>