Nijo Castle was originally built in 1603 to be the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu, and it was completed in 1626 by the third Shogun Iemitsu, who transferred some structured from Fushimi Castle, built in the Momoyama Period (1573-1614). Consequently, lavishly decorated Nijo Castle is the representitive of the height of Momoyama architecture. In its day it served as a symbol of the power and authority of the Tokugawa military government. Ornately decorated by the Kano family, the principal structure was made up of 33 rooms and was located on the eastern edge of a 70 acre compound.
When Yoshinobu, the fifteenth Tokugawa Shogun, returned soverenigty to the Emperor in 1867, the Castle was given to the Imperial Family. In 1884 it was renamed Nijo detached palace and in 1939 donated to the city of Kyoto renamed Nijo Castle and opened to the public.