Why did the Edo Castle tower disappear? ｜The truth behind the “unrebuilt castle” left behind at the Imperial Palace

Seventy-five years have passed since that night when flames scorched the sky and the chalk castle tower disappeared.

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　table of contents

1. The full story of the lost castle of heaven
2. Chronology Digest
3. About reconstruction work methods
4. 5 “Traces of Burning” that you can experience on-site 

Introduction

The castle tower of Edo Castle was once the “castle of heaven” that towered over the center of Edo. Its appearance has now become a phantom, remaining silent under the Tokyo sky, leaving only the stone walls behind. Why was the castle tower, which was said to be one of the largest in Japan, left behind and never rebuilt?

In this article, we will decipher the story of the “disappeared castle tower,” starting with the night it was engulfed in flames, going through its recovery without rebuilding, the resurfacing of the concept, and the “vestiges” that remain at the site.

The visuals in each chapter use images generated by AI to help readers visualize the scene more clearly. Please use this as a supplementary reference only, as it may differ from the actual scenery.

 1. Lost Heavenly Castle – The disappeared castle tower and the fate of the city 

Edo in the fog, a castle that reaches the sky――

If you look up at the Edo sky, there was once a castle tower that seemed to hit the sky. Built by the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, this is a five-story castle tower that exudes a majestic white appearance. Edo Castle Castle Tower — it was not just a military facility. A building that symbolizes peace and peace, embodies authority, and believes in the “permanence” of the shogunate.

However, that glorious image is now nowhere to be seen. Only the castle tower remains, exposing the memories of the past to the wind.

Why did that huge building disappear? Didn’t people try to rebuild it? When did the fate of the city of Edo change?
It all started with a single “flame.”

Chapter 1: Night of Fire – Great Fire of Meireki 3rd Year

On March 2nd, 1657 (January 18th of the lunar calendar), the worst conditions of dry winter and strong winds combined to create a chain of fires in the city of Edo. Around 2 p.m., a memorial fire held at Honmyoji Temple in Hongo Maruyama was fanned by the wind and spread, and the flames quickly spread to surrounding roofs.

Over the next three days, three fires were confirmed from north to south of Edo:

• Afternoon of January 18th: Honmyoji Temple (Bunkyo Ward)
  
• January 19th morning: Koishikawa (currently Koishikawa, Bunkyo Ward)
  
• Same day and evening: Kojimachi (Chiyoda Ward)
  

As a result, Edo Castle’s Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Sannomaru, including almost the entire outer moat and the castle tower, were engulfed in flames. Approximately 60-70% of Edo city was destroyed, and the number of deaths ranges from 30,000 to more than 100,000 depending on historical sources, but the most commonly reported figure is 100,000.

Edo Castle’s Kan’ei Castle was completed in 1638, and burned down less than 20 years later. It was approximately 59 meters tall, including the stone walls, and was one of the largest wooden castle towers in Japan. It is believed that sparks entered the building through a window on the top floor and caused the building to burn down, and the magnificent decorations and copper tiles were completely engulfed in flames.

The common name “Furisode Fire” comes from the legend that a girl’s purple furisode kimono used for a memorial service fire sparked the fire. However, this is a later myth and is not confirmed by official records of the time.

Chapter 2: Reasons why it was not rebuilt – hidden intentions

The burnt down Edo Castle castle tower was never seen again. Although recovery from the Great Fire of Meireki was an urgent task, the shogunate put off rebuilding the castle tower.

The shogun at the time, Tokugawa Ietsuna, was still young, and his uncle Masayuki Hoshina and others supported him in political affairs. Hoshina placed his top priority on rebuilding the city after the disaster, and implemented a series of policies that focused on practical benefits, such as relocating burnt-out samurai residences, creating firebreaks to create firebreaks, and re-digging waterways. Under these circumstances, the castle tower, a gigantic structure with only symbolic meaning, was excluded from the scope of reconstruction.

Some historical sources cite the cost and lack of materials as reasons, but it was more likely a political decision. In Edo, which entered an era of peace, the castle tower, a symbol of war, was no longer a “hindrance to governance” even if it were absent.

The lack of a castle tower in the center of Edo Castle soon became a mirror of the new attitude of the shogunate. Governing Edo through system and order, not based on military might – governance without a castle tower. This was also the quiet determination of the shogunate, which chose continuity and stability over a show of force.

Chapter 3: Changes in time and transformation of the castle

Edo Castle, which did not have a castle tower, continued to function as the center of the shogunate for over 200 years. The castle tower, which remained in the ruins of the fire, was exposed to the wind and rain and quietly accepted the passage of time, with dreams of rebuilding.

During that time, the city of Edo continued to expand, becoming one of the world’s largest cities with a population of over 1 million people. Edo prospered even without a castle tower. This was also proof that the city’s appearance changed from “military” to “governance.”

Eventually, the first year of the Meiji era. The Tokugawa shogunate returned power and Edo Castle was handed over to the new Meiji government. Edo is renamed “Tokyo” and becomes the new capital of Japan. A Western-style palace was built in the main keep of Edo Castle, and the former castle tower was incorporated as part of the new era’s “Imperial Palace.”

However, that tower tower was somehow stuck in a different time. Carrying memories of a time when castles were the center of authority, he remained silent and did not speak, just looking up at the Tokyo sky.

Chapter 4: To those who stand on the castle tower – and to the present day

There are no castle towers in modern Tokyo. However, the memory that there was once a castle there still remains deep in people’s hearts.

When I went to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, stood on the stone wall, and looked up at the sky, I felt like I heard something. The castle tower, which should have disappeared into ashes that day, continues to convey its existence in its formless form.

The desire to rebuild the castle tower may be due to nostalgia for the past. However, it is also an act that connects the memory of the city to the future. The act of looking at what has been lost and not just seeing it as “the past”.

As we stand on top of the stone wall, blown by the wind, we may be asking ourselves these questions today. What did the city of Edo preserve and what did it let go of? This question is quietly casting a shadow on the future path that the city of Tokyo will take.

–Once upon a time, there was a castle here. A dream that tried to reach heaven but burned out.

 2. Chronological Digest from Disappearance to “Reconstruction without Reconstruction” 

In 1657, the Edo Castle tower was destroyed by the Meireki Fire. The five-storied castle tower, which was one of the largest wooden structures in Japan at the time, was reduced to ashes. However, the shogunate did not dare to rebuild it.

Instead, the shogunate focused on disaster prevention and rebuilding urban functions, such as preparing areas for fire protection and reorganizing townspeople’s lands. Even without a castle tower, Edo Castle and its castle town actually achieved further prosperity and reached a higher level of perfection as an early modern city.

Since then, the Edo Castle tower has been etched into history as a “lost symbol,” but it has not been rebuilt to this day. However, its very absence speaks volumes about the political ideology of the shogunate and the urban design of Edo.

The castle tower of Edo Castle was destroyed in the Great Meireki Fire of 1657, and the shogunate gave up on rebuilding it, but the idea of ​​rebuilding it has repeatedly surfaced from the end of the Edo period to the present. In recent years, due to the discovery of drawings and excavations, the restoration of the wooden Kan’ei Castle has become a reality. Below, we will introduce possible construction methods and behind-the-scenes information based on past reconstruction plans and surveys.

　1. Reconstruction of drawings based on the construction site map (survey and CG after 1712)

One copy of the “construction plan” submitted by Arai Shiraishi, a scholar of the mid-Edo period, in 1712 still exists, and based on this, Hiroshima University Professor Masayuki Miura and others reconstructed it into 12 detailed plans, making CG reconstruction possible. This is the technical basis for planning the wooden restoration structure.

　2. Excavation survey and understanding of the current status of the castle tower (since 2010s)

The Manjido Castle Tower, which was rebuilt in 1658, has remained as a stone wall until modern times, and in 2018, excavations confirmed that it was approximately 45m on the west side and 41m on the north side, and details such as the placement of the foundation stones and the composition of the stone materials were revealed. Excavations have uncovered layers of remains from the Keicho period, and the construction methods of each period are also being examined.

　3. Pursuit of timber and material procurement and traditional construction methods

The expected restoration method is a wooden structure with one basement floor and five floors above ground. The idea is to build it on top of the stone wall of the castle tower, and the wood to be used is 50cm diameter Japanese cypress, which can be procured from national forests in Japan. There are approximately 200 shrine carpenters, and they have the talent to inherit traditional Japanese techniques, and the significance of restoring wooden structures has been repeatedly emphasized during surveys and planning meetings.

　4. Process concept during reconstruction (as a model case)

1. Castle tower repair: Repair deteriorated parts of the stone wall to ensure the strength and earthquake resistance of the foundation

2. How to build basement/ground columns: Basement → 1st floor → 2nd floor, etc. based on the building site plan, with traditional wooden pillars.

3. Roof/tile construction: Restoration of copper plate tile or lead tile roofing (Kanei-do is copper plate tile)

4. Exterior wall finish: Follows the historical design with a combination of white plaster and copper plate rain shutters

5. internal finish: Focusing on the durability of the wooden structure, considering the possibility of internal exhibitions in non-public areas in the future.

　5. Issues in modern legal systems and cultural property protection

The wooden building, which is approximately 45m in height, is only allowed to have three floors under the current Building Standards Act, so special permission is required. Additionally, since the castle tower itself is designated as a special historic site, there are legal hurdles such as excavations and cultural property inspections for its preservation.

 Finally 

Edo Castle’s castle tower disappeared into the depths of history, never to be seen again. However, what this loss speaks of is not “failure” or “decline.”

Rather, the town of Edo, which grew without rebuilding, and the shogunate’s choice to build a long-term government through system and order, quietly convey that there is something left behind by not rebuilding.

The soot marks left on the stone walls, the memories engraved in the strata, and the urban structure that continues into modern Tokyo continue to tell us that there was once a castle that struck the sky here.

The Edo Castle castle tower was lost. However, it is this “loss” that asks us questions.

“What do you want to leave behind for the future?”