How the Emperor maintained leadership position was very much dependent on his ancestry to the Sun goddess Amaterasu.  With this ancestry, they were undisputable heirs to be ruling position of Japan. The Kyoto Gosho, despite being the palace of the Imperial family was not lavishly decorated. It was simple and understated. The architecture of all the buildings was built with the purpose to perform religious rituals on the white graveled courtyard to ensure the continued safety of the country. Most of the government duties were assigned to officials with the Emperor having very little actual involvement in leading the country. He was simply the leader because he was the Emperor.

                     The Shogun had a more complex manner of maintaining power. Unlike the Emperor whose ancestry guaranteed his leadership role, the Shogun had to maintain himself as the leader of the warriors. As a warrior, he could easily be replaced by another that is more influential or stronger than he is therefore, the Shogun had maintain constant watch on all aspects of the government to maintain power. The Ninomaru Palace was built so that the visitors who entered the complex would immediately be aware of the wealth and power of the Shogun. In the waiting room, ferocious tigers painted on the screened walls were intended to intimidate those who see it. Individual parts of the ceilings were gilded in to highlight the gold as a symbol of wealth. In the Grand Audience Hall physically separated visitors according to ranks with the Shogun’s position in the center emphasized by the angle of the ceiling beams. In the palace, visitors would always be aware of their social status in the strict hierarchy and that the Shogun is on top. These methods of intimidations and displays of wealth and power reflect how the Shogun maintained control and power in his capital Edo. The city plan of Edo is very segregated according to class with the Shogun in the middle. It is because the Shogun’s legitimacy derived from the Emperor, that the Shogun has to maintain power through intimidations of wealth and power.