Pale Oak Castle

Other than Kyuden Asako, Pale Oak Castle (Aoijiroi Oku Shiro) is the most popular court for visitors to the Phoenix lands, and the only other one to have hosted an Emperor’s Winter Court. The castle surrounds a grand white oak that grew over the grave of one of the Hantei Emperors. He abandoned tradition and asked on his deathbed to be buried at the site of his wife’s birth. The castle was built, in part, to ensure the eternal defense of the sacred tree. The bark of the oak is rumored to have tremendous healing powers, and the few cuttings taken each season are greatly coveted.