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Gishu-mon Gate (I think)
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Gishu-mon Gate
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Shodaibunoma, a waiting area for courtiers paying official visits
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Shodaibunoma
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Jomei-mon Gate
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Jomei-mon Gate
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Kinrei-mon Gate
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Jomei-mon Gate, looking through to Shishin-den, where the imperial enthronement ceremonies would take place, you can see the cherry tree on the right
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Jomei-mon Gate
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Jomei-mon Gate
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Shunkoden
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Shunkoden: "... was built to place the sacred mirro on the occasion of the enthronement ceremony of Emporer Taisho in 1915"
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Ko-gosho, used for the coming of age ceremony, or when the emporer received a shogun or daimyo, and used for poetry readings. You can see the layers upon layers of bark used in the roof, though it got less thick as it nears the roof peak
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Ko-gosho detail
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Ko-gosho detail
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Seiryo-den, the first emporer's residence
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Ko-gosho detail
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Seiryo-den
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Seiryo-den
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Bamboo in front of Seiryo-den, birds would alight in these and sing the emporer awake in the mornings
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Seiryo-den
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Keyaki-bashi (zelkova bridge)
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Oike-niwa garden
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Our tour guide, she shared a lot of neat stories with us, speaking English through her amplifier so that the huge tour group could hear and understand her
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Ko-gosho detail, the window coverings were hooked up in good weather, and lowered during monsoons
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Oike-niwa garden
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Keyaki-bashi
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Keyaki-bashi
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Stone lantern in the garden
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Another garden bridge
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Garden and bridge
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Ogakumon-jo, used by the emperor for study, and poetry readings, next to the garden
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Oike-niwa garden
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Oike-niwa garden
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Painting of samurai playing a poetry and drinking game, if they finished a poem by the time a small boat with a glass of sake got to them on the stream, they could drink
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Oike-niwa garden
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Oike-niwa garden
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Ogakumon-jo
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Ogakumon-jo
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Ogakumon-jo
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Shoji screens
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On our way out, Ogakumon-jo