Shishinden Kyoto

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Shishinden 紫宸殿 Hall for State Ceremonies



. Gosho Imperial Palace in Kyoto 京都御所.　


The main building on the Palace Grounds includes, among other halls, the
Shishinden (紫宸殿, Hall for State Ceremonies),
Seiryōden (清涼殿, lit. 'cool, refreshing hall'),
Kogosho (小御所, Court Room),
Ogakumonsho (御学問所, Imperial Study or Library), and
a number of residences for the Empress, high-ranking aristocrats and government officials.

The main gate on the front, south, side of the Palace has a cypress-wood roof, and is supported by four pillars. This gate would have been used on the rare occasions of the Emperor welcoming a foreign diplomat or dignitary, as well as for many other important ceremonies of the State. To the sides lies a fence separating the inner areas from the general Palace Grounds, and just past this main gate is a second gate, painted in vermillion and roofed in tile, which leads to the Shishinden, the Hall for State Ceremonies.

The Shishinden was used for such important ceremonies as the coronation of an Emperor and installation of a Crown Prince. It is 33 by 23 metres in size, and features a traditional architectural style, with a gabled and hipped roof. On either side of its main stairway were planted trees which would become very famous and sacred, a cherry (sakura) on the eastern, left side, and a tachibana citrus tree on the right to the west.

The center of the Shishinden is surrounded by a hisashi (庇), a long, thin hallway which surrounded the main wing of an aristocrat's home, in traditional Heian architecture. Within this is a wide open space, crossed by boarded-over sections, leading to the central throne room. The Throne itself, called takamikura (高御座), sits on an octagonal dais, five metres above the floor, and could be separated from the rest of the room by a curtain.


The sliding door that hid the Emperor from view is called
kenjō no shōji (賢聖障子), and had an image of 32 Chinese saints painted upon it, which became one of the primary models for all of Heian period painting.

The Seiryōden sits to the west of the Shishinden, facing east. It, too, has a hipped and gabled roof, and is primarily cypress wood. Originally a place where the Emperor would conduct his own personal affairs, the Seiryouden was later used for various gatherings and meetings as well. In the centre is an area where the Emperor would rest, and on the east side of the hall, an area of two tatami was set aside for dignitaries and aristocrats to sit. Here was where the Emperor could conduct formal affairs.

On the north side of the hall was an enclosed area where the Emperor would sleep at night; later, Emperors began to use the official residence. The west side was set aside for the Emperor's breakfasts, and also contained the lavatories, while the south side was used by the keeper of the Imperial Archives. This area contained paintings by the masters of the Tosa school, and just outside, various rare bamboos were planted.
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The Tachibana, Fujiwara, Genji and Heike
are the four great clans of Old Japan.

. tachibana 橘 Tachibana citrus fruit .


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H A I K U - S E N R Y U

紫宸殿よく化物の出るところ
Shishin-den yoku bakemono no deru tokoro

Shishiden Hall -
a place often haunted
by monsters

Haifu Yanagidaru Senryu Collection 誹風柳多留




source :　fukude

from a carving of a festival float

源三位頼政の鵺退治～京都・紫宸殿
Genzanmi Minamoto Yorimasa fights with a nue monster

. Nue (鵺) a legendary creature .


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. Gosho Imperial Palace in Kyoto 京都御所.　


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