KYOTO IMPERIAL PARK Kyoto Gyoen Kyoto Gosho Sento Gosho As you step into Kyoto Gyoen, the park that surrounds Kyoto Gosho, the former imperial palace, you are likely to be met by the swish of a frisbee or barking dogs, their tails wagging as they appraise other canines out for a walk. This a far cry from the sounds one might have expected to hear just a little over a century ago. Until the 1860s, more than two hundred estates of retired emperors, court nobles, and aristocrats were located within this enclosed patch of green. Then the swish you might have heard would have been that of the silk garments of nobles on their way to court, while the barking might have come from the guns of imperial troops as they fought those defending the collapsing Tokugawa shogunate. Vestiges of that era, marked by scattered boulders and sign posts, offer a glimpse of Kyoto''s past. Originally, Hamagurimon ("Clam Gate;" the suffix "-mon" means gate) was always kept closed. However, a great fire swept through the city in 1788, and, as the flames neared, it opened, like a clamshell tossed on the fire--presumably to allow people to escape--and has remained open ever since. The end of the Edo period (1600-1868) was a time of great political upheaval, ending in the destruction of the shogunate, the restoration of the imperial rule, and the relocation of the capital to Tokyo.

In the midst of this turmoil, feuding clans and factions tried on more than one occasion to force their way into the palace to petition the emperor directly. In one such clash, which took place in the late summer of 1864 and became known as the Hamaguri Gomon Incident, invading forces from the domain of Choshu were repelled by troops from Satsuma and Aizu defending the imperial court. The gate is still scarred with the bullet marks left by their struggle. Small round indentations can be found at eye level. A large expanse of gravel surrounds the outer wall of Kyoto Gosho, the old imperial palace. Close by the wall, an imposing muku tree (Aphananthe aspera) spreads its limbs like a massive fan. The tree was once a part of the Shimizu residence. Today, three hundred years later, it is marked with a sign that explains that it witnessed the fighting at the Hamagurimon in 1864, and is the spot where Lord Kijima Matabei was killed while fighting on the side of the imperial guards.

South and west of the giant muku is a long stand of peach and plum trees. There are five or more varieties planted here; they begin to bloom in late February and continue to display their flowers into early April. In the middle of the palace''s south outer wall is the magnificent gate known as the Kenreimon. This gate, which may be used only by the emperor, is a fine example of Japanese architectural aesthetics. The quiet beauty of unpainted cryptomeria wood and bark-shingled roof lend a distinctly Japanese flavor to this royal entranceway. The Gishumon admitted princes, princesses, and royal peers to the imperial palace. The Seishomon is used by visitors who have applied for and received permission to enter the palace compound itself. (Twice a year, for five days in the spring and fall, the palace is open to the general public from 9 to 3, during which time visitors enter through the Gishumon.

) The third and last gate on the west side is the Kogomon, and opposite it is a simple wooden pillar that designates the site of the former Ichijo residence. The Sakuheimon, the only gate in the north wall, was used by consorts and ladies-in-waiting. Across from it, one of the small paths to the north leads to a rather overgrown area with a sign marking the site of the former Konoe estate. The Konoe were among the highest-ranking aristocrats associated with the court, and for over a thousand years they served as regents and chief advisors to the emperor. Today, very little is left of their garden, although yellow wagtails, kingfishers, and a number of other feathered visitors find their way to the secluded pond. West of the pond stood a mansion that served as a temporary imperial residence. A sign indicates that one emperor composed a poem while viewing a treasured cherry that grew here. A wide graveled road leads out of the north gate of the park.

Just to the right, before the exit, is a walled-in area that was once the Katsura residence. Today this compound provides housing for the employees of the park and palace. Japanese consider the northeast direction so unlucky that the outer wall of the palace was built without a proper corner. (This superstition is so pervasive that a bed will not be laid out with the head facing north, nor are traditional houses constructed with northeast-facing entrances.) However, tucked up under the eaves on the eastern side is a caged wooden monkey wearing a nobleman''s hat and carrying a Shinto wand with paper strips. Legend has it that this rascally monkey caused so much trouble at court that he was consequently assigned to the northeast corner to pester and scare off whatever evil spirits found their way into the palace grounds. He was allowed out at night to patrol the area, but was kept in his cage and out of mischief during the day. Today, the netting which enclosed him is intended more to protect him from prying hands than the other way around.

In the northeast corner of the park is a wooden pillar and a black wooden fence that surround a stone well called Sachi no I, or "Well of Divine Protection." The water from this well was used to give the infant Emperor Meiji, born to a concubine within this compound, his first bath. In former days, most of the water used in the palace ground was provided by deep wells. Slightly southeast of this spot is one of Kyoto''s favorite bird-watching locations. Regular bird watchers are often found pa-tiently waiting with camera and tripod to catch some of the migrating species that gather near a natural spring. Very near here, tucked into a wooded area is a tiny self-service library. If it is open, just pull up the shutter, select one of the books on the local flora and fauna, have a seat at a picnic table, and read up (in Japanese) on the trees and birds that can be found nearby. South of this area, the Kyoto State Guest House (Kyoto Geihinkan) was opened in 2005 for visitors of state.

South of here among the pines is a sign that marks the site of the original Gakushuin, the Peers School. Although many residences originally occupied this site, a space was cleared and a school building constructed in 1847 to instruct nobles and palace employees in history and in the Chinese and Japanese classics. The Gakushuin still exits, but is now a modern university, located in Tokyo. (One of its graduates, Kawashima Kiko, married Prince Aya, the second son of the present emperor.) The gate historically used by the empress, Kenshumon, is a massive structure constructed of cryptomeria wood. Southeast of it is the Sento Gosho, which along with Katsura Rikyu and Shugakuin Rikyu, is one of Kyoto''s three detached palaces. Enclosed by a tile-roofed earthen wall (peach-shaped tiles mark the western entrance), the Sento Gosho has one of Kyoto''s most impressive gardens. Advance permission from the Imperial Household Agency is needed to enter.

The tour through this garden, which takes one hour, is given only in Japanese, but that should not deter you from taking it. The magnificent beauty of these grounds requires no explanation. The southern edge of the Sento Gosho marked the southern limits of the palace grounds until the great Temmei Fire of 1788. After that, land was cleared to Marutamachi Dori and new imperial residences added. Now, a public tennis court and baseball field occupy the southeastern corner of the park. Opposite Sakaimachimon, a marker and several scattered boulders indicate the former Takatsukasa residence, and a little farther to the west on the left is the former site of the Kujo estate, another favorite bird-watching spot. From the old bridge, you are sure to see at least five kinds of birds within minutes. Besides the ever-present pigeons, crows, brown-eared bulbuls, and sparrows, you may spot wagtails, grey starlings, dusky thrushes, tits, Oriental greenfinches, Japanese grosbeaks, white-eyes, Indian tree pipits, Japanese green pigeons, and perhaps hear the elusive bush warbler.

Depending upon the season, waxwings, Siberian blue robins, Siberian bluechats, blue-and-white flycatchers, and goldcrests may be spotted migrating through. The teahouse Shusuitei mirrored in the pond is still used for tea ceremonies [Open 9 to 4. Admission ¥200]. Stone pillars from the dismantled Gojo Bridge were used in the construction of the bridge that spans the pond. The tiny shrine seen from the bridge was built in the twelfth century by Taira Kiyomori, who dedicated it to his mother, Lady Gion. When the Kujo family acquired this land after the Hoei Fire of 1708, they continued to maintain the shrine. The gently sweeping top portion of the stone torii is in the ancient Chinese style, making this one of Kyoto''s three most unusual torii (the other two are at the Konoshima and Kitano Temmangu shrines). The view north from the pond''s bridge extends all the way to the Kenreimon.

At the midpoint off to the right stands a large mound of earth from the top of which a black pine soars--a dignified substitute for a huge stone lantern which once stood there. The Ministry of the Environment Kyoto Gyoen National Garden Office is housed on the grounds of the former Kan''in estate [Open 9 to 4. Closed Mondays, holidays, and December 29 to January 3. Tel: 255-6433; http://www.kyotogyoen.go.jp/english.html], which was built in the eighteenth century.

Of the many residences that graced these.