Nijo Castle was constructed in 1626 as the residence of the Tokugawa Clan (徳川氏, Tokugawa-shi) who were the shoguns (将軍) during the Edo Period (1603-1867, 江戸時代, Edo-jidai). During the Edo Period, while the Imperial Family still existed, the actual power of ruling the country was held by the shogun. While the Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府, Tokugawa Bakufu) ruled from Edo (江戸), modern-day Tokyo, Nijo Castle served as their residence in Kyoto when they visited the former capital.
As the castle was not built primarily as a defensive structure, rather as a location to welcome in guests and visitors, the architecture of the castle was made to impress and intimidate visitors. The castle used to also feature a five-story tenshu (天守, Main Keep), however it was struck by lightning in 1750, burned down, and was never rebuilt.