The entry chamber of the Tenshu, or great tower, of Kyuden Ikoma is an imposing space made more so by the fact that it is largely empty. A sea of tatami extends from the great doors of the entrance to a pair of sliding doors that open onto a pair of hallways leading deeper into the keep. On each side of the Genkan, a further pair of doors slide open to reveal chambers dedicated to storing katana and shoes, each guarded at every hour of the day by a team of elite budoka.

The room's chief feature, however, and its only decoration, is a massive painting that hangs opposite the entrance. Over three times times the size of life, this monumental work depicts Hantei Yugozohime in full armor, the gilt lions on her tsuba gleaming brilliantly, facing her brother, Hantei Soujiro, the creature of the Gozoku, whose blue and black armor hangs dully from his frame. Where behind Yugozohime the Lion (and, in the far background, a glimpse of the Dragon) armies gleam in their golden battalions, the doomed pretender's only supporters are tired old men in drab, dusty oranges, blues, and blacks, clutching scrolls with looks of despair and terror. Nothing could escape the determined glare of the righteous Empress, where her brothers ashen visage already glances down at the hilt of the sword he knows will cut him down.