Kyoto Imperial Palace

View through the Jomeimon gate on the Shishinden main hall

The Kyōto Imperial Palace (京都御所, Kyōto-gosho) is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan, located in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered in 1877.[1] Today, the grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency hosts public tours of the buildings several times a day.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace is the latest of the imperial palaces built in the northeastern part of the old capital of Heian-kyō (now known as Kyoto) after the abandonment of the Heian Palace that was located to the west of the current palace during the Heian period. The Palace lost much of its function at the time of the Meiji Restoration, when the capital functions were moved to Tokyo in 1869. However, Emperor Taishō[2] and Shōwa[3] still had their enthronement ceremonies at the palace.

  1. ^ "明治神宮-明治神宮とは-". www.meijijingu.or.jp. Archived from the original on 2007-02-17.
  2. ^ Saitō, Katsuhisa (8 November 2019). "Japan's First Modern Enthronement: The Ceremonies for Emperor Taishō in 1915". Nippon.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ^ Kitano, Ryuichi (12 November 2019). "Rare footage shows Hirohito's enthronement rituals in Kyoto". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 7 March 2022.