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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 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 [[Meiji Emperor]] took up residence in the castle beginning on [[1869]]/3/28. By that time, the castle had already been renamed "imperial residence" (''kôkyo''), the most standard term used to refer to the Palace today as well; however, [[Fukuoka Takachika]], among other prominent members of the Court at that time, argue that as it was not designated ''kyûjô'' (宮城), it was not yet ''the'' (permanent/primary) Imperial Palace, but was only an ''[[anzaisho]]'', a temporary palace secondary to [[Kyoto Imperial Palace|that in Kyoto]], until the newly-built Palace was designated ''kyûjô'' in [[1889]].<ref>Takashi Fujitani, Splendid Monarchy, University of California Press (1996), 36-37.</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 1889, when the castle's reconstruction as the Tokyo Imperial Palace was complete.<ref>Fujitani, 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>
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