Kyoto Imperial Palace

It is located in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, and was the former Imperial Palace before the capital was moved to Tokyo in the Meiji era. When Heian-kyo was built in 794 (Enryaku 13), the Imperial Palace was established in the Dairi (Dairi) area of ​​Heian Palace in the central north of the city. Since the Heian period, in the event of a disaster at the Dairi, it was customary for a vassal's residence to be used as a temporary temporary Dairi, and this was called Sato Dairi. The current Kyoto Imperial Palace is located on the site of Tsuchimikado Higashinotouindono, which was once one of the Sato Dairi. After the Imperial line split into the Northern and Southern Courts in 1331 (Genko 1), this site in Tsuchimikado was used as the Imperial Palace for successive Northern Court generations, and so after the unification of the Northern and Southern Courts, it became established as the Dairi. The Tsuchimikado Imperial Palace was burned down in 1401 (Oei 8) and 1443 (Kakitsu 3), and reconstruction was delayed due to the worsening financial situation of the Muromachi Shogunate at the time, and the palace was left abandoned when the Onin War came, so it fell into severe disrepair. In 1569 (Eiroku 12), Oda Nobunaga began reconstruction of the palace, but it was still only a replica of the palace from the Muromachi period, and its size was small, about one cho square. It was later developed into the Tensho Imperial Palace by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Keicho Imperial Palace built by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the Kan'ei Imperial Palace, but it was damaged by disasters several times, in 1653 (Shoo 2), 1661 (Kanbun 1), 1673 (Enpo 1), 1708 (Hoei 5), and 1788 (Tenmei 8). In 1789 (Kansei 1), Matsudaira Sadanobu, the senior councilor who was in charge of the restoration of the Imperial Palace, partially restored the Imperial Palace to its former standards of the Heian period based on the Daidairi Zukosho written by Uramatsu Mitsuyo (Kozen). However, this Imperial Palace was also burned down in 1854 (Ansei 1), and the Ansei Imperial Palace was rebuilt the following year in 1855 exactly as it was built in the Kansei period, and is the current Kyoto Imperial Palace.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace occupies an area of ​​approximately 450 meters from north to south and 250 meters from east to west, and is surrounded by a white Tsuiji wall. To the south is the Kenreimon Gate, and in front of the gate is a corridor that surrounds the southern garden on three sides, with the Shomeimon Gate, Nikkamon Gate, and Gekkamon Gate. Within this corridor stands the Shishinden Hall, and to the northwest is the Seiryoden Hall. Connected to the northeast of the Shishinden Hall are the Kogosho Palace, the Gakumonsho Palace, and the Tsunegoten Palace, and to the east of these is a pond garden. In a separate area to the north are the palaces of the Empress, the Wakamiya Palace, and the Himemiya Palace. To the southeast of the Kyoto Imperial Palace are the Omiya Palace (established in 1867) and the Sento Palace (established in 1852), which together with the Kyoto Imperial Palace are known as the Kyoto Gyoen. The Gyoen is under the management of the Ministry of the Environment and covers an area of ​​approximately 900,000 square meters. The outskirts of the Kyoto Imperial Palace were once lined with the residences of the noble families of the Arisugawa and Katsura Imperial families, as well as the five regent families such as Konoe and Takatsukasa, but now the area has been turned into an expanse of gardens, leaving no trace of the past. However, the Reizei family residence (a nationally important cultural property) remains on the north side of Imadegawa-dori, giving a slight glimpse of the former appearance.

Currently, it is under the management of the Imperial Household Agency's Kyoto Office and is open to the public all year round without the need for prior application (though there are days when it is closed).

[Kudou Yoshiaki]

"Art and Culture Series 138: Kyoto Imperial Palace" by Michio Fujioka (1967, Chuokoron-Bijutsu Shuppan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治の東京遷都以前の旧皇居で、京都市上京(かみぎょう)区にある。794年（延暦13）平安京が造営されて、皇居は京の中央北部の平安宮内の内裏(だいり)に設けられた。平安時代以来、内裏の罹災(りさい)の場合は臣下の邸宅を一時仮内裏として利用するのが常であって、これを里内裏(さとだいり)とよんでいる。現在の京都御所は、かつての里内裏の一つであった土御門東洞院殿(つちみかどひがしのとういんどの)の場所にあたる。1331年（元弘1）皇統が南北朝に分かれてから、土御門のこの場所は北朝歴代の皇居として利用されたため、南北朝合体以降はここが内裏として定着した。この土御門内裏も1401年（応永8）、1443年（嘉吉3）と焼亡、当時室町幕府の財政事情の悪化によって再建に手間どり、やがて応仁(おうにん)の乱を迎えて内裏を留守にしたため、その荒廃は著しかった。1569年（永禄12）織田信長が内裏復興に着手するが、まだ内裏は室町時代以来のものを踏襲しただけで、規模も1町四方ほどの狭いものであったらしい。その後豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉による天正(てんしょう)内裏、徳川幕府造営の慶長(けいちょう)内裏、寛永(かんえい)内裏と発展するが、1653年（承応2）、1661年（寛文1）、1673年（延宝1）、1708年（宝永5）、1788年（天明8）と、数度罹災を繰り返している。1789年（寛政1）、内裏の復興にあたった老中松平定信(さだのぶ)は、裏松光世(みつよ)（固禅）が著した『大内裏図考証』に基づいて、内裏を平安時代の旧規に部分的にも復古している。しかし、この内裏も1854年（安政1）に焼失、翌1855年に寛政(かんせい)造営のものをそのままに再建された安政(あんせい)内裏がいまの京都御所である。

　京都御所は南北約450メートル、東西約250メートルの面積を占め、周囲は白い築地(ついじ)塀で囲まれる。南には建礼門(けんれいもん)が開かれ、門内正面には南庭(なんてい)を囲んで三方に承明門(しょうめいもん)、日華門(にっかもん)、月華門(げっかもん)の開かれる回廊があり、その中に紫宸殿(ししんでん)、北西に清涼殿(せいりょうでん)が建つ。紫宸殿の北東からは奥に小御所(こごしょ)、御学問所、常御殿(つねのごてん)が接続し、その東には池庭が設けられる。北方の独立した一画には、また皇后、若宮、姫宮の各御殿が建つ。京都御所の南東には大宮(おおみや)御所（1867創建）や仙洞(せんとう)御所（1852創建）があり、京都御所と一括して京都御苑(ぎょえん)とよばれる。御苑は環境省の管理下にあり、面積は約90万平方メートルに及ぶ。京都御所の周縁には、かつて有栖川宮(ありすがわのみや)、桂宮(かつらのみや)の宮家、近衛(このえ)、鷹司(たかつかさ)などの五摂家をはじめとする公家(くげ)の住宅が建ち並んでいたが、いまは一面の苑地に変わって昔のおもかげがない。ただ、今出川通の北側に冷泉家(れいぜいけ)住宅（国重要文化財）が残されていて、わずかにかつてのたたずまいを伝えるだけである。

　なお、現在は宮内庁京都事務所の管理下にあり、事前申込み不要の通年公開となっている（休止日はあり）。

［工藤圭章］

『藤岡通夫著『美術文化シリーズ 138　京都御所』（1967・中央公論美術出版）』

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