First established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1601 and finally completed under Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1626, Nijō Castle was built to symbolize the power of the shōgunate over a united Japan. Now one of Kyōto's most popular tourist attractions, it is particularly famous for its "nightingale" floors that squeak under the pressure of the softest footsteps (so as to protect against assassins). The central keep (donjon) which once overlooked the site was struck by lightning in 1791 and burned down. Pictured here is the castle's main Ninomaru Palace.