Castle & Palace · Kudan / Kitanomaru

Tayasumon and Shimizumon Gates 田安門・清水門

The two great surviving gates of Edo Castle's northern Kitanomaru enclosure: Tayasumon, the oldest standing structure of the castle, now the gateway to the Budokan, and the steep stone-stepped Shimizumon a few minutes away.

About

Tayasumon dates from 1636, making it the oldest surviving building of Edo Castle and an Important Cultural Property. Like the other big gates it is a masugata box gate: a smaller korai-mon outer gate leads into a walled courtyard, then a turn through the heavy yagura-mon watchtower gate into Kitanomaru Park. Today it is the gate that concertgoers stream through on their way to the Nippon Budokan, and in spring the cherry trees of Chidorigafuchi and the Kudanzaka embankment hang right over it. Shimizumon, rebuilt in 1658 and also an Important Cultural Property, sits on the eastern side of the park and is wonderfully atmospheric: uneven stone steps climb steeply through the gate, deliberately built to tire attackers. Walking from one to the other through Kitanomaru Park takes about ten minutes and gives a real sense of the scale of the shogun's fortress.

Highlights

• Tayasumon, built 1636, the oldest surviving structure of Edo Castle
• Massive masugata box-gate courtyards with fitted stone walls
• Shimizumon's steep, uneven stone staircase, designed to slow attackers
• Cherry trees of Chidorigafuchi and Kudanzaka right beside Tayasumon
• Leads into Kitanomaru Park, the Budokan and the Science Museum

Tips

• Avoid Tayasumon in the hour before a Budokan concert, when crowds funnel through the gate.
• Peak cherry blossom (late March to early April) makes this one of Tokyo's best sakura walks; go before 8:00.
• Shimizumon's steps are uneven and slippery after rain; wear proper shoes.
• Walk on to Chidorigafuchi's moat promenade or the Imperial Palace East Gardens via Kitahanebashi-mon.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Nippon BudokanLandmark & Tower · 100 m away
• Showakan (National Showa Memorial Museum)Museum · 180 m away
• Kudan Kaikan TerraceLandmark & Tower · 210 m away
• Coin Lockers · Kudanshita StationLuggage Storage · 250 m away
• Kitanomaru ParkPark · 300 m away
• Science Museum (Kagaku Gijutsukan)Museum · 450 m away
• ChidorigafuchiPark · 510 m away
• Yasukuni ShrineShrine · 510 m away