所在地 千代田区皇居外苑1
旧江戸城 外桜田門
現在この門は桜田門と呼ばれますが、正式には外桜田門といい、本丸に近い内桜田門（桔梗門）に対してこの名が付けられました。古くこの辺りを桜田郷と呼んでたことに由来します。
外側の高麗門と内側の渡櫓門の二重構造からなり、外桝形という防御性の高い城門で、西の丸防備のため異例の大きさで造られました（320坪）。建築されたのは寛永年間（1624～1644）とされ、現存する門は、寛文3年（1663）に再建された門がもとになっています。大正12年（1923）の関東大震災で破損し、復元されました。
万延元年（1860）3月3日、この門外で大老井伊直弼が水戸藩脱藩士に暗殺されました（桜田門外の変）。
Sotosakrada-mon Gate of Edo Castle
Currently called Sakurada-mon,this gate is officially named Sotosakurada-mon,soto meaning "outer" as opposed to the "Uxhisakurada-mon" or "innee" Gate (Kikyo Gate) near the citadel.These gates were named Sakurada-mon becouse the area was called Sakurada-go (town) in the past.
The Sotosakurada-mon Gate has a cual structure consisting of the Korai Gate on the outside and the Watariyagura Gate on the inside with a square in-between.It covers an exceptionally large area (apprx,1,056㎡) as a highly defensive castle gate for the Nishinomaru(west compound).The Sotosakurada-mon Gate was originally built in the Kanei era (1624 to 1644),while the existng gate is based on a gate reconstructed in 1663.The gate was damaged by the Great Knto Earthquake in 1923 and repaired it.
On March 3,1860,the Japanese Chief Minister Tairo li Naosuke was assassinated by a group of samurai who seceded the Mito-han feudal state outside of the Sotosakurada-mon Gate in an event known as the Sakuradamon Incident.
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