Nijo Castle
is really Ninomaru Palace and garden, Nijō Castle, Kyoto, Kyoto
Real place, still recognisable
Real-world photo: Wikimedia Commons
How close does the game get to the real place?
In the game
Nijo Castle is a landmark in Kyoto's Horikawa district in Rise of the Ronin, the shogun's stronghold in the imperial city. The game's picture shows the low halls of the Ninomaru Palace seen across the rocks and pond of its garden.
The real place
Nijō Castle was built in 1603 for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. In its Ninomaru Palace in 1867, the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, announced that he was handing power back to the emperor, the end of the era in which the game is set. The castle is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site.
Visiting
Walk the palace corridors in socks and listen for the nightingale floors, which squeak to warn of intruders. The Ninomaru Garden is best in the morning light, and the castle opens its grounds at night during the cherry blossom season.
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Pilgrim photos
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