#imperialpalace

Tokyo

The Forbidden City

Fujimi-Yagura: One of Tokyo’s Last Edo Castle Guard Towers・皇居に残る江戸城富士見櫓

The Fujimi-Yagura guard tower, originally built in 1606, was destroyed in a 1657 fire and reconstructed in 1659. Over the centuries, it endured further challenges, including damage from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, after which it was repaired into its present form.

Beneath the tower, its stone wall foundation is among the oldest surviving within the former Edo Castle grounds. Built in the uchikomi-hagi (打込矧ぎ) joinery style, the stones were carefully shaped and fitted without mortar, allowing the wall to withstand centuries of earthquakes.

As I framed Fujimi-Yagura through my camera’s viewfinder, I reflected on how this watchtower has silently witnessed Tokyo’s transformation. The contrast between its centuries-old stonework and the glass-and-steel skyscrapers behind it stayed with me. I felt grateful to capture both past and present in a single frame—an enduring piece of Edo’s history standing amid the ever-changing city skyline.

Location: Imperial Palace, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo Timestamp: 11:10・2025/01/02 Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter ISO 320 for 1/500 sec. at ƒ/8.0 Provia/Standard film simulation

Imperial Winter Palace, Pekin, October 29, 1860,

Albumen silver print,

8 7/8 × 11 5/8" (22.6 × 29.6 cm)

Felice Beato Photography,