Nijō-jō (二条城, Nijō Castle) was constructed in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
- It was also where the Shogunate ended. In 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu formally returned power to the emperor here, marking the end of over 260 years of shogunate rule. That moment is known as the Meiji Restoration, which launched Japan’s modern era.
- The gardens were designed by landscape masters and include a large pond with islets, arranged rocks, and pine trees.