KOMACHI'S TRAVEL GUIDE: The top of the Shosuro Governor's Palace is the highest spot in Ryoko Owari. (However, the Palace is not the tallest building; that honor belongs to the Temple of Daikoku, built on the plains below Noble Hill.) Built out of Shinomen Forest cedar, fronted with local limestone, and supported by bricks from local clay, the palace was built completely from materials sold in Ryoko Owari.
MOROSUKE'S HISTORY: The first Governor's Residence was occupied by Hida Atsushige when the Crab clan took the city (G4). Upon his departure, he burned it to the ground in what his contemporaries call a "sullen rage" but which I personally would characterize as a "fit of pique".
The second Residence was always described with the careful terms that only truly ugly structures merit. This is not surprising; after Sanekata returned, he had little money for a magnificent residence, and consequently built a modest structure of wood and brick. Later (and more prosperous) Governors were reluctant to raze a house built by such a notable man, so they attempted to redeem the structure by adding on to it. Sadly, their additions only had the effect of making the central house look shabby by comparison. It was only with the invasion of the Lions that the eyesore could reasonably be destroyed.
There are rumors that the second Palace was destroyed by returning Scorpion troops, not departing Lion ones, so that the Governor could build a "fitting" home. I find this story implausible; maybe during a good year a convenient fire might occur, but not during wartime.
SHIGEKO'S DOSSIER: It takes twelve minutes to ride from the Palace to the Civil Hall, and nine minutes to the Magistrate Residence.