Kyoto

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(2002 est. pop. 1.5 million). Located in southern Kyoto Prefecture in central Honshu, 50 kilometers northeast of the industrial port of Osaka, Kyoto was the residence of the Japanese emperor and imperial court from 794 to 1868. Originally named Heian-kyo ("capital of tranquillity and peace"), the city was constructed in the 790s after a fire destroyed much of the former capital city at Nara. During later centuries the city was also called Saikyo ("western capital") to distinguish it from the shogun's capitals at Kamakura and Edo (Tokyo). In 1997 Kyoto's population was 1.5 million, making it the seventh-largest urban center in Japan, after Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, and Kobe.

The original plan for the city of Kyoto was, like the earlier capital at Nara, modeled after Changan—the capital of the Tang dynasty (618–907) in China. The city was laid out on a grid pattern 23.4 square kilometers in area. During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the city lost some of its importance as political and military power shifted to the Minamoto shogun's headquarters at Kamakura. During the Muromachi period (1333–1573), Kyoto regained some of its status, as both the shogun and the emperor took up residence in the city. It was during this period that many of the city's great temples were constructed, including the Nanzenji, Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), and Ginkakuji (Temple of the Silver Pavilion). With the victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) at the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the seat of political power was again moved, as the new shogun established his capital at Edo in eastern Honshu. During the Tokugawa period (1600/1603–1868), Kyoto retained some of its stature because of the presence of Nijo Castle—a temporary residence for the shogun during his visits to the imperial court and inspection tours of central Japan. The city also continued to grow as an artistic and religious center during this time.

After the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and the transfer of the nation's symbolic and administrative governance to Tokyo, Kyoto was forced to remake itself, emerging as one of the most modern cities of the Meiji period (1868–1912); it claimed the first streetcars in Japan, as well as a thriving industrial quarter. Sparedby U.S. bombers during World War II, Kyoto survived the conflict to become an important center of higher education and culture, and a major transportation hub. While tourism, finance, and education are the leading industries in Kyoto, the city is also home to light industry and numerous producers of traditional Japanese products, including porcelain, textiles, and works of art. The city also boasts numerous museums, Buddhist and Shinto temples, and historic sites, making it an important center in the preservation of traditional Japanese culture.

The entrance to the Fushimi-Inari Shinto Shrine, one of many shrines and temples in the city of Kyoto. (DAVID SAMUEL ROBBINS/CORBIS)

Robert John Perrins

Kaneko, Anne, and C. Andrew Gerstle, eds. (1994) Kyoto: A Celebration of 1,200 Years of History. London: Japan Research Center, School of Oriental and African Studies.

Lowe, John. (2000) Old Kyoto: A Short Social History. New York: Oxford University Press.

Plutschow, Herbert. (1983) Historical Kyoto: With Illustrations and Guide Maps. Tokyo: Japan Times.

Röpke, Ian Martin. (1999) Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

Waley, Paul, and Nicholas Fiévé, eds. (2000) Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power, and Memory in Kyoto, Edo, and Tokyo. Surrey, U.K.: Curzon.