This is the North Garden of the goten. The goten was the private palace residence of the imperial priest. The garden and pond can be seen from the deck of the Shinden which features beautiful tatami rooms with painted screens. The Shinden was originally the Tsune Goten, located at Gosho Imperial Palace, but moved here in 1630 when other structures were re-located. It was badly damaged in 1887, but rebuild between 1911-1914.
Ninna-ji is a Shingon temple with a beautiful array of gardens and architecture. It was originally founded in 886 and completed in 888. After being destroyed by fire during the Onin war, it was rebuilt with the aid of the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, in the early 1600’s. It is an UNESCO world heritage site, and several of the structures are important cultural property. The Nio-mon is one of the Three Great gates of Kyoto.
