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On occasions such as New Year's, members of the ''gosanke'', ''[[gosankyo|gosankyô]]'', and other shogunal relatives, along with others of the 4th rank and above, waited in various rooms of the castle and met with the shogun in the ''shiroshoin'' one at a time, to offer their New Year's greetings. Following these individual audiences, the shogun would move to the lower ''dan'' (''gedan'') of the ''ôhiroma'', and stand there as ''fusuma'' (sliding doors) were opened, allowing those of rank five and below, gathered in the ''ni-no-ma'', to be seen by the shogun; all those assembled then bowed low, performing their greetings to the shogun all at once.<ref name=fukai22/> ''Daimyô'' visited the castle on a number of occasions throughout the year, including New Year's and other [[gosekku|festival days]], at the times of their arrivals and departures from the city in connection with ''[[sankin kotai|sankin kôtai]]'' duties, and, regularly, twice a month. However, ''daimyô'' could not simply visit the castle as they wished, without special permission; even a son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, [[Tokugawa Yoshinao]], was rebuked for traveling to Edo and going up to the castle in [[1629]], when his grand-nephew, Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]], suddenly fell ill.<ref>Nagai, 126.</ref>
On occasions such as New Year's, members of the ''gosanke'', ''[[gosankyo|gosankyô]]'', and other shogunal relatives, along with others of the 4th rank and above, waited in various rooms of the castle and met with the shogun in the ''shiroshoin'' one at a time, to offer their New Year's greetings. Following these individual audiences, the shogun would move to the lower ''dan'' (''gedan'') of the ''ôhiroma'', and stand there as ''fusuma'' (sliding doors) were opened, allowing those of rank five and below, gathered in the ''ni-no-ma'', to be seen by the shogun; all those assembled then bowed low, performing their greetings to the shogun all at once.<ref name=fukai22/> ''Daimyô'' visited the castle on a number of occasions throughout the year, including New Year's and other [[gosekku|festival days]], at the times of their arrivals and departures from the city in connection with ''[[sankin kotai|sankin kôtai]]'' duties, and, regularly, twice a month. However, ''daimyô'' could not simply visit the castle as they wished, without special permission; even a son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, [[Tokugawa Yoshinao]], was rebuked for traveling to Edo and going up to the castle in [[1629]], when his grand-nephew, Shogun [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]], suddenly fell ill.<ref>Nagai, 126.</ref>
[[Korean embassies to Edo|Korean]], [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo|Ryukyuan]], and [[Imperial envoys]] were received in the ''Tenjô-no-ma'' ("Hall of Aristocrats"), while additional rooms known as ''tôzamurai'' were used as waiting rooms for other guests.<ref>''[[Tokugawa reiten roku]]'' 徳川禮典録 (1889), reprinted Tokyo: Owari Tokugawa Reimeikai (1942), vol. 3, 307.; Yamamoto Hirofumi 山本博文, Edo jidai - shōgun bushi tachi no jitsuzō 江戸時代―将軍・武士たちの実像 (Tokyo: Tokyo shoseki, 2008), 70.; William Coaldrake, ''Architecture and Authority in Japan'', Routledge (1996), 145. The term ''tenjô'' 殿上 here was a term used in the Imperial Court to refer to those of high enough status to be permitted to step up (上) into the palace (殿), traditional Japanese buildings being elevated slightly above the ground, in contrast to ''jigenin'' 地下人, who were obliged to remain down (下) on the ground (地). Ninomiya Shigeaki, “An Inquiry Concerning the Origin, Development, and Present Situation of the Eta in Relation to the History of Social Classes in Japan,” ''Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan'', second series, vol. X (1933), 82.</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 patrolled the samurai districts of Edo and 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 patrolled the samurai districts of Edo and 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>
