SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 021Kanto & KoshinetsuTokyo

Edo Castle

江戸城

Ruins & historic sites

Part of the Tokugawa shoguns’ castle survives in the Imperial Palace East Gardens. Massive walls, gates and the keep platform reveal the scale of the former complex in central Tokyo.

A stone bridge, moat, walls and turret at the Edo Castle site
A stone bridge, moat, walls and turret at the Edo Castle sitePhoto: Fg2 · Public domain · Resized and converted to WebP. Cards crop the display.This photograph shows the site at the time it was taken. Check the notes and official sources for current restoration work and access.

Get to know the castle

Castle at a glance

Site & layout
Shogunal castle remains in the Imperial Palace East Gardens
Origins
Medieval origin; extensively developed in the Edo period
Builders & patrons
Tokugawa shoguns
Other names
—
What remains today
Keep platform, masonry and gates; no keep survives

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

Edo Castle was greatly developed as the seat of the Tokugawa shoguns. Three successive keeps were built in the early Edo period, the last completed under Iemitsu in 1638. The 1657 Meireki fire destroyed it, and only its platform was rebuilt. The East Gardens, created from part of the former castle, opened to the public in 1968.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

Large walls and controlled gateways separate the principal enclosures. The keep platform indicates the scale of the lost tower. The public East Gardens cover only part of former Edo Castle and part of today’s Imperial Palace grounds.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

Keep platform

The platform was rebuilt after the fire of 1657, but no new keep followed. Its empty summit marks an important change in the castle’s history.

02

Gates and masonry

Castle gates and large walls define entrances and enclosure boundaries. Changes in level and turning approaches give context to the landscaped grounds.

03

From inner castle to garden

The East Gardens include parts of the former main, second and third enclosures. Their combination of castle terrain and later gardens shows how the site changed.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1638

    Tokugawa Iemitsu’s keep was completed.

  2. 1657

    The Meireki fire destroyed the keep.

  3. 1968

    The Imperial Palace East Gardens opened.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

The East Gardens have closing days and entry hours that may change for events. They do not provide unrestricted access to the Imperial Palace; check the Imperial Household Agency’s current guidance.

Official visitor information ↗Find it on a map ↗

Information checked: 27 September 2026

Sources & official information

Some official sources are available in Japanese only.

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