2025-01-02

Kokyo-mae Hiroba

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Kokyo-mae Hiroba: From Samurai Mansions to Open Spaces
武家屋敷から開かれた広場へ：皇居前広場の歴史


I went on a photowalk at the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo on one of the rare occasions when the palace grounds were open to the public. This special access was for the official New Year’s greeting by the emperor.

While waiting in line to enter the inner courtyard, I captured this shot of the urban landscape—towering steel-and-glass office buildings rising with sharp, modern lines, contrasting against the neatly manicured lawns and sculpted curves of Japanese pine trees (matsu) under a crisp winter morning sky.

During the Edo Period (1603–1868), this area just outside the Edo Castle moat was lined with the grand mansions of feudal lords. When Japan transitioned from a military dictatorship to a constitutional monarchy during the Meiji Era (1868–1912), Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito confiscated these estates, replacing them with trees and open spaces. Over time, this transformation gave rise to the expansive plaza we see today, a serene green space in the heart of Tokyo.

  • Location: Imperial Palace, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
  • Timestamp: 9:46・2025/01/02
  • Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
  • ISO 320 for 1/900 sec. at ƒ/4.0
  • Provia/Standard film simulation

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