Situated within a walled enclosure at Kyoto-gyoen, Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyoto-gosho) extends 450 metres north to south and 250 metres east to west, encompassing a total area of approximately 110,000 square metres. The compound features six gates, one each to the south, east and north and three to the west. The south gate was used only by the emperor, the east gate by the empress or empress-dowager and the north gate by imperial consorts and ladies-in-waiting, while one of the three west gates was intended for the use of court officials and the other two for the use of visitors.

Home to the Japanese imperial family down to 1868, Kyoto-gosho was destroyed and rebuilt eight times, six of them during the Edo Period. The present reconstruction dates from 1855.

The most important building in the palace grounds is the Shishinden (Hall of State), which is situated in the south of the palace compound behind a gravelled courtyard. A faithful recreation of the shinden-zukuri architectural style, it comprises a raised one-storey wooden building covered in a hipped and gabled cypress-bark roof with a large open central space which is separated from the surrounding veranda (hisashi) by suspended latticed shutters (shitomido). The enthronement ceremonies of the emperors Taisho (1912-1925) and Showa (Hirohito, 1926-1989) were held here.

Other significant buildings within the compound include the Seiryoden (originally the Royal Residence, later a Ceremonial Hall), the Ogakumonjo (Royal Residence), the Kogosho (Small Palace) and the Ogakumonsho (Study Hall), as well as various other structures designated for ceremonial or residential use.

Throughout the Edo Period numerous aristocratic residences were also clustered around the main palace buildings, but when the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1868 these were all demolished. Today most of Kyoto-gyoen is a public park.

The south east corner of the palace compound once housed the Sento Imperial Palace, which was built in 1630 as a residence for retired emperors. It burned down several times and on each occasion was promptly rebuilt, but following the great fire of 1854 which consumed both the Kyoto Imperial Palace and the Sento Imperial Palace, the latter was not rebuilt because there was no retired emperor or empress at that time.