Shimizu-mon gate of Edo Castle

 There is Kita-no-maru Park in Chiyoda ward, Tōkyō. In the Edo period (1603 ~ 1868), this area formed the Northern Enclosure of Edo Castle. The Shimizu-Tokugawa family and the Tayasu-Tokugawa family both had mansions in this area.

 The Shimizu-Tokugawa family is commonly knows as Shimizu family. The Shimizu family, one of the three lords called Gosankyō, was a branch of the Tokugawa shōgun family. The shōgun family could adopt a child from the family if they had no succession. Its ancestor was Shigeyoshi (1745~1795), the second son of the ninth shōgun Ieshige (1711~1761). In 1758, he was given a mansion inside of Shimizu-mon gate, and started living there.

 There was an earth-paved bridge in front of the gate. There is a moat called Ushi-ga-fuchi moat in front of the gate on the right side, and there is a moat called Shimizu-bori moat on the left side. There is a one-story gate called Kōrai-mon gate. When you go through it, there is a square and a turreted passageway called Watari-Yagura-mon gate on the right.

 After going through the gate, there are stone steps and we can climb up those steps. This area retains the atmosphere of the Edo period. The gate has a lot of engraved marks on the stone walls, so it is interesting to look for them.