Akasaka Palace

The total area of ​​the palace is 15,000 m², and the complex as a whole, including a small Japanese-style building , occupies 117,000 m².

The main building of the palace is the only neo - baroque building in Japan ^[1] . It resembles Buckingham Palace . It is also one of the largest buildings of the Meiji era .

A road passes through the territory of the complex that does not have intersections and encircles the palace. Its length is about 3.25 km.

The territory occupied today by the Akasaka palace used to be the residence of the rulers of the Kishu principality , a side branch of the ruling Tokugawa dynasty ^[1] . After the Meiji restoration, the clan Owari transferred the land to the imperial court.

The neo-baroque palace building, designed by the architect Katayama Tokuma , a student of Josiah Conder , was erected in 1899-1909. as the residence of the crown prince. Initially, the palace was called Togu ( я 御所 , "palace for the crown prince") , and then, when the residence of the prince moved to another place, it was renamed Akasaka ^[1] .

Crown Prince Hirohito , as regent, lived in Akasaka Palace for five years. At first, he was going to live there for a short while, while his main residence was being renovated, and moved there on August 28, 1923. However, four days later, on September 1, Japan survived the great Kanto earthquake , and the prince had to linger in a new home. During these years, he married Princess Nagako , and they had two daughters, Shigeko and Sachiko (the latter died six months later). Hirohito left the palace only in September 1928, two months before the coronation.

After World War II, the imperial court refused to own the Akasaka palace. It housed several government agencies, including the National Parliamentary Library , created in 1948 ^[2] , the Legislative Bureau, and the Organizing Committee of the 1964 Olympic Games .

During the post-war economic revival, the Japanese government began to feel the need to create a state guest house. The former residence of Prince Yasuhiko (now the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art "Theyen") was used as a guest house, but it was too small for this purpose. In 1967, it was decided to restore the former Akasaka palace and establish a guest house there. The restoration, led by the architect Togo Murano, took more than 5 years and cost 10.8 billion yen, ending in 1974.

The first official guest to stay at the palace was US President Gerald Ford in 1974 - this was the first visit by the incumbent US president to Japan. Since then, the palace has been the residence of heads and representatives of other countries visiting Japan, as well as the venue for international conferences such as the G7 summits (in 1979, 1986 and 1993) and APEC ^[1] .

In 2006-2009 the complex was closed for restoration, but in April 2009 reopened. In December 2009, the main building, the main gate and the garden with a fountain were recognized as Japan's National Treasure . This is the first update to the list of National Treasures since the Meiji Restoration.

On April 17, 2005, a second guest house with an area of ​​16,000 m² was opened in Kyoto . The complex, whose total area is 20,000 m², is located in Kamigyo district.