Sakurada-mon, Historic gate at Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan
Sakurada-mon is a traditional Japanese city gate at the inner moat of the Imperial Palace, built with dark wood and white wall surfaces. The construction connects two separate gate buildings through an enclosed courtyard that once slowed attackers.
The gate appeared in the early Edo period when the shogunate fortress took its final form. In 1860, a senior government official was killed here, speeding the political transition toward the end of shogunate rule.
The name comes from the Japanese word for cherry trees that once bloomed nearby, covering the structure with pink petals in spring. The entry serves today as a symbolic transition between the public city and the imperial gardens beyond.
The gate is easily reached from nearby subway stations serving several lines. The area around the entrance is freely accessible and suitable for a short walk along the moat.
The two-stage defensive structure with gates placed one behind the other forces visitors to change direction before reaching the inner area. This design appears in only a few surviving castle entrances across Japan.
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