Kara-mon Gate

The Kara-mon Gate stands out with its heavy, curved cypress bark roof and dense wood carvings of tigers, cranes, and bamboo. It served as the formal entrance for the shogun when he visited Nijo Castle. In the autumn of sixteen thirty-four, Tokugawa Iemitsu ordered the massive gate moved here from Fushimi Castle to impress visitors with the sheer power of the shogunate. Its gold leaf decorations and intricate Chinese-style architecture announce the authority that once commanded the entire country from this spot.