The first palace to be built was later named the South Palace (now Toba Rikyu Park), followed by others including North Palace, Izumi Palace, Baba Palace, West Palace and Tanaka Palace, with the area serving as the hub of cloistered rule exerted by the Emperor Shirakawa, the Emperor Toba, the Emperor Goshirakawa.
最初に営まれた御所は後に南殿と称され（現在の鳥羽離宮公園がその跡）、その後、北殿、泉殿、馬場殿、東殿、田中殿などが相次いで建設され、白河・鳥羽・後白河の3代の院政の舞台となった。