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First established by [[Ota Dokan|Ôta Dôkan]] in [[1457]], the castle was a secondary center of power within the Kantô, under [[Odawara castle]], through much of the [[Sengoku period]]. Following the [[Siege of Odawara|fall of Odawara]] in [[1590]], [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] established [[Edo]] as his new center. Ieyasu undertook extensive renovations beginning in [[1592]].<ref name=shimizu>Plaque on-site at the Tokyo Imperial Palace Shimizumon[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/18200797571/sizes/h/].</ref>

First established by [[Ota Dokan|Ôta Dôkan]] in [[1457]], the castle was a secondary center of power within the Kantô, under [[Odawara castle]], through much of the [[Sengoku period]]. Following the [[Siege of Odawara|fall of Odawara]] in [[1590]], [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] established [[Edo]] as his new center. Ieyasu undertook extensive renovations beginning in [[1592]].<ref name=shimizu>Plaque on-site at the Tokyo Imperial Palace Shimizumon[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/18200797571/sizes/h/].</ref>

The castle then became the center of shogunal residence & rule, from [[1603]] onwards. The castle grounds were expanded significantly, including the construction of complexes of moats and gates (''mitsuke''), such that they came to encompass an area twice that of [[Osaka castle]], the next-largest castle compound in the archipelago.<ref name=fujitani40>Takashi Fujitani, ''Splendid Monarchy'', University of California Press (1996), 40.</ref> The grand ''tenshukaku'' (tower keep), the tallest ever built in Japan at 58 meters high & five stories high from exterior view, was begun in [[1607]] and completed in [[1638]], following a series of repairs to the castle as a whole in [[1622]]. 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. The castle grounds were expanded significantly, including the construction of complexes of moats and gates (''mitsuke''), such that they came to encompass an area roughly 181 acres in size<ref name=guth>Christine Guth, ''Art of Edo Japan'', Yale University Press (1996), 92.</ref> - twice the expanse of [[Osaka castle]], the next-largest castle compound in the archipelago.<ref name=fujitani40>Takashi Fujitani, ''Splendid Monarchy'', University of California Press (1996), 40.</ref> The various halls and palaces in the complex are said to have been able to house as many as 260 ''daimyô'' and 50,000 other warriors, if need be, in case the city came under attack.<ref name=guth/> The grand ''tenshukaku'' (tower keep), the tallest ever built in Japan at 58 meters high & five stories high from exterior view, was begun in [[1607]] and completed in [[1638]], following a series of repairs to the castle as a whole in [[1622]]. Standing some 84 meters above sea level, it was one of the tallest (highest) sights visible in the city - rivaled only by [[Mt. Fuji]].<ref name=guth/> The castle 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.

Another significant set of two fires took place in [[1863]], destroying the ''nishi-no-maru'', ''honmaru'', and ''ni-no-maru'' portions of the compound. The shogunate never replaced the ''honmaru'', which had up until then been the chief structure in the compound, housing the chief audience halls and administrative offices and meeting rooms, as well as the [[Ooku|Ôoku]]. Instead, for the final years of the [[Bakumatsu period]], the shogunate operated out of temporary structures hastily thrown up in the ''nishi-no-maru''.<ref name=fujitani40/>

Another significant set of two fires took place in [[1863]], destroying the ''nishi-no-maru'', ''honmaru'', and ''ni-no-maru'' portions of the compound. The shogunate never replaced the ''honmaru'', which had up until then been the chief structure in the compound, housing the chief audience halls and administrative offices and meeting rooms, as well as the [[Ooku|Ôoku]]. Instead, for the final years of the [[Bakumatsu period]], the shogunate operated out of temporary structures hastily thrown up in the ''nishi-no-maru''.<ref name=fujitani40/>