In 1626 (Kan’ei 3), the Tokugawa shogunate welcomed Emperor Go-Mizunoo to Nijo Castle and, over five days, entertained him with bugaku (court dance), Noh theater, waka poetry, and other refined arts. The Kan’ei Gyoko was among the grandest events of the Edo period, signaling reconciliation between the imperial court and the shogunate and proclaiming the arrival of a long era of peace.
In preparation for the visit, Nijo Castle was extensively remodeled into a form close to what we see today. The Kan’ei Gyoko also helped bring “Kan’ei culture” into full bloom—culture that would later exert a profound influence on Japanese cultural history.
In 2026 (Reiwa 8), marking four hundred years since the Kan’ei Gyoko, Kyoto will host the Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival as a project of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Collaboration Platform—an all-Kyoto initiative bringing together government, the business community, and cultural and arts organizations. Centered on Nijo Castle and other sites associated with Kan’ei culture, the festival will feature reenactments of Kan’ei Gyoko ceremonies, along with a range of programs that look back on the culture that flourished during the Kan’ei era.