Kaguya Hime Bamboo Palace (かぐや姫竹御殿)~Kyoto Traditional Architecture guide~

There are many hidden architectural treasures in Kyoto, and one can often find an interesting story behind how they each come to be. It is easy to walk past one sometimes. Tucked away at the corner of a quiet neighbourhood in the western part of Kyoto stands a building called Kaguya Hime Bamboo Palace (かぐや姫竹御殿). It was the passion project for a master bamboo craftsman named Seisuke Nagan, who spent 27 years completing this building. He would continue working on the building till he passed many years later.

Kaguya Hime Bamboo Palace is known for its many bamboo building elements both inside of and outside the buildings. While at this time, the building could only be viewed from the outside. But just from the entrance area alone, one can already spot the many uses of different bamboo elements, often in rather unusual ways with the bamboo master’s personal touch.

The inspiration behind the Kaguya Hime Bamboo Palace came from the Japanese Folklore of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which was more recently adapted into the Studio Ghibli Film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya from the late Takahata Isao.