Nijo Castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 as his Kyoto residence. In the grand chamber of this historic castle, the last shogun Yoshinobu announced “Taisei Hokan, or the return of government power to the emperor just before the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The Ninomaru Palace in the castle compound is famous for its floors that give a squeaky sound just like a nightingale’s song. The palace is also well-known for its strolling-style garden with a pond containing three miniature “islands.”
(二条城は1603年徳川家康により京都の居城として建てられた。明治維新直前の1868年 には歴史的に重要なその城の大広間で最後の将軍慶喜は「大政奉還」、すなわち政権返上を天皇に上奏した。その城の敷地内にある二の丸御殿は歩くと驚の鳴き声のようなきしむ音 がする床で有名である。また、回遊式庭園でも知られ、池には小さな3つの「島」が浮かぶ)