Council Hall in the Imperial Palace — 大極殿

The Daigokuden — the Council Hall or Great Hall of State in the ancient imperial palace precinct (大極殿) — is one of the major architectural monuments of the reconstructed Heian imperial capital preserved at Kyoto Gyoen. The massive scarlet hall, with its sweeping roof and formal approach, represents the apex of classical Japanese imperial architecture. Kotozuka's woodblock rendering of this ceremonial structure emphasizes its imposing scale and the formal symmetry that distinguishes imperial palace architecture from the more intimate temple and garden settings he more typically depicted.