Kyoto (/ˈkjoʊtoʊ/;[3]Japanese:京都,Kyōto[kʲoꜜːto]ⓘ), officiallyKyoto City (京都市,Kyōto-shi,[kʲoːtoꜜɕi]ⓘ), is the capital city ofKyoto Prefecture in theKansai region ofJapan's largest and most populous island ofHonshu. As of 2020[update], the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it theninth-most populous city in Japan. More than half (56.8%) of Kyoto Prefecture's population resides in the city. The city is the cultural anchor of the substantially largerGreater Kyoto, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people. It is also part of the even largerKeihanshin metropolitan area, along withOsaka andKobe.
Kyoto is one of the oldest municipalities in Japan, having been chosen in 794 as the new seat of Japan's imperial court byEmperor Kanmu. The original city, namedHeian-kyō, was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinesefeng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capitals ofChang'an andLuoyang. The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869. It was the scene of several key events of theMuromachi period,Sengoku period, and theBoshin War, such as theŌnin War, theHonnō-ji Incident, theKinmon incident, and theBattle of Toba–Fushimi. The capital was relocated from Kyoto toTokyo after theMeiji Restoration. The modern municipality of Kyoto was established in 1889. The city was spared from large-scale destruction duringWorld War II and, as a result, its prewar cultural heritage has mostly been preserved.
In Japanese, Kyoto was previously calledKyō (京),Miyako (都),Kyō no Miyako (京の都), andKeishi (京師). After becoming the capital of Japan at the start of theHeian period (794–1185), the city was often referred to asHeian-kyō (平安京, "Heian capital"), and late in the Heian period the city came to be widely referred to simply as "Kyōto" (京都, "capital city"). After the seat of the emperor was moved to the city ofEdo and that city was renamed "Tōkyō" (東京, meaning "eastern capital"), Kyoto was briefly known as "Saikyō" (西京, meaning "western capital"). As the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868, Kyoto is sometimes called thethousand-year capital (千年の都).
Historically, foreign spellings for the city's name have includedKioto andMiaco orMeaco.[4][5]
Amplearcheological evidence suggests human settlement in the area of Kyoto began as early as thePaleolithic period,[6] although not much published material is retained about human activity in the region before the 6th century, around which time theShimogamo Shrine is believed to have been established.[citation needed] Before Kyoto became the imperial capital,immigrants from mainland Asia contributed to the development of the area.
During the 8th century, when powerfulBuddhist clergy became involved in the affairs of the imperial government,Emperor Kanmu chose to relocate the capital in order to distance it from the clerical establishment inNara. His last choice for the site was the village of Uda, in the Kadono district ofYamashiro Province.[7]
In theSengoku period, the city suffered extensive destruction in theŌnin War of 1467–1477, and did not really recover until the mid-16th century.[9] During the war, battles between samurai factions spilled into the streets, and came to involve court nobility (kuge) and religious factions as well. Nobles' mansions were transformed into fortresses, deep trenches dug throughout the city for defense and as firebreaks, and numerous buildings burned. The city has not seen such widespread destruction since.
In the late 16th century,Toyotomi Hideyoshi reconstructed the city by building new streets to double the number of north–south streets in central Kyoto, creating rectangle blocks superseding ancient square blocks. Toyotomi also built earthwork walls calledodoi (御土居) encircling the city.Teramachi Street in central Kyoto is a Buddhist temple quarter where Toyotomi gathered temples in the city.
Gallery
Rakuchū rakugai zu, a 16th-century depiction of central Kyoto includingGion Matsuri floats (center) andKiyomizu-dera (upper right)
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In 1603, theTokugawa Shogunate was established atEdo (present-day Tokyo), marking the beginning of theEdo period. Nevertheless, Kyoto flourished as one of three major cities inJapan, the others beingOsaka and Edo. At the end of the period, theHamaguri rebellion of 1864 burned down 28,000 houses in the city, which showed the rebels' dissatisfaction towards the Tokugawa Shogunate.[10]
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At the start of theMeiji period, the emperor's move from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869 weakened the economy of Kyoto. The modern city of Kyoto was formed on April 1, 1889. The construction ofLake Biwa Canal in 1890 was one measure taken to revive the city. The population of the city exceeded one million in 1932.[11]
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View of Kyoto from beside the Hondō of Kiyomizudera – 1870s[12]
There was some consideration by theUnited States of targeting Kyoto with anatomic bomb at the end ofWorld War II because of the possibility that the city's importance was great enough that its loss might persuade Japan to surrender.[13] In the end, at the insistence ofHenry L. Stimson, Secretary of War in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the city was removed from the list of targets and replaced byNagasaki. The city was largely spared from conventional bombing as well, although small-scale air raids did result in casualties.[14] During the occupation, theU.S. Sixth Army andI Corps were headquartered in Kyoto.[15]
As a result, Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities that still have an abundance of prewar buildings, such as the traditional townhouses known asmachiya. However, modernization is continually breaking down traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as theKyōto Station complex.
Kyoto is located in a valley, part of the Yamashiro (or Kyoto) Basin, in the eastern part of the mountainous region known as the Tamba highlands. The Yamashiro Basin is surrounded on three sides by mountains known as Higashiyama, Kitayama and Nishiyama (literally "east mountain", "north mountain" and "west mountain" respectively), with a maximum height of approximately 1,000 meters (3,281 ft)above sea level. This interior positioning results in hot summers and cold winters. There are three rivers in the basin, theUji River to the south, theKatsura River to the west, and theKamo River to the east. Kyoto City takes up 17.9% of the land in Kyoto Prefecture and has a total area of 827.9 square kilometers (319.7 sq mi).
Kyoto sits atop a large natural water table that provides the city with ample freshwater wells. Due to large-scale urbanization, the amount of rain draining into the table is dwindling and wells across the area are drying at an increasing rate.
Kyoto has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa), featuring a marked seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation. Summers are hot and humid, but winters are relatively cold with occasional snowfall. Kyoto'srainy season begins around the middle of June and lasts until the end of July, yielding to a hot and sunny latter half of the summer. Kyoto, like most of the Pacific coast and central areas of Japan, is prone to typhoons during the summer and autumn.
Climate data for Kyoto (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1880−present)
In the 1870s, the city was divided into a northern ward (Kamigyō-ku) and a southern ward (Shimogyō-ku), each working as individual administrative divisions of Kyoto Prefecture. The modern municipality was created by the unification of these wards into the city of Kyoto in 1889.
Due to the creation of new administrative districts and a number ofmunicipal mergers that took place between the 1920s and the 1970s, the contemporary city of Kyoto is divided into elevenwards (区,ku). The central wards, located to the west of the Kamo River, are small and densely populated. The city hall is located inNakagyō-ku, and the Kyoto prefectural offices are located in present-dayKamigyō-ku.
The original city was arranged in accordance with traditionalChinesefeng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capital ofChang'an/Luoyang. TheImperial Palace faced south, resulting in Ukyō (the right sector of the capital) being on the west, while Sakyō (the left sector) is on the east. The streets in the modern-day wards of Kamigyō-ku, Nakagyō-ku, andShimogyō-ku still follow a grid pattern. Areas outside of the city center do not follow the same grid pattern, though streets throughout Kyoto are referred to by name, a practice that is rare in most regions of Japan.
Kyoto was the largest city in Japan until the late 16th century, when its population was surpassed by those ofOsaka andEdo.[19] Before World War II, Kyoto vied withKobe andNagoya to rank as the fourth- or fifth-largest city in Japan. Having avoided most wartime destruction, it was again the third-largest city in 1947. By 1960 it had fallen to fifth again, and by 1990 it had fallen to seventh. As of January 2022[update], it was the ninth-largest city in Japan by population and had led the country in population decrease for two consecutive years.[20] However, the population of the city rises during standard working hours, and Kyoto ranks seventh in Japan in terms ofdaytime population.[21]
Approximately 55% of the total population ofKyoto Prefecture is concentrated in the city of Kyoto, which is the highest ratio among the prefectures of Japan.
The legislative city assembly has 67 elected members, and terms are four years in length. As of 2024, the assembly is controlled by a coalition of members affiliated with theLiberal Democratic Party,Komeito, and the Democratic Civic Forum.
Between the founding of the modern city and 1898, thegovernor of Kyoto Prefecture also acted as the mayor of the city of Kyoto. From 1898 through the Second World War, mayors were nominated by the Kyoto City Assembly and appointed by theMinister of Home Affairs.
Domestic and internationaltourism contributes significantly to Kyoto's economy. In 2014, the city government announced that a record number of tourists had visited Kyoto.[34] As a result of a sharp decline in tourism during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the mayor acknowledged in 2021 "the possibility of bankruptcy in the next decade" and announced job cuts in the administration and cuts in social assistance, including reductions in funding for home care.[35]
TraditionalJapanese crafts are also a major industry of Kyoto; Kyoto'skimono weavers are particularly renowned, and the city remains the premier center of kimono manufacturing.Sake brewing is another prominent traditional industry in Kyoto, and the headquarters of major sake brewersGekkeikan andTakara Holdings are found in Kyoto.
As of 1 May 2023, there were 154 municipal public elementary schools in Kyoto, with a total of 55,736 pupils. At the secondary level, there were 66 municipal public junior high schools with 27,046 students and 11 municipal public senior high schools with 5,117 students.[36]
TheConsortium of Universities in Kyoto is a Kyoto-based higher education network consisting of three national universities, three public (prefectural and municipal) universities, 45 private universities, five other organizations, and representatives from the city government. The Consortium does not offer degrees, but allows students of member universities to take courses at other member universities.[40]
In addition to Japanese universities and colleges, educational institutions from other countries operate programs in the city. TheKyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) is a group of 14 American universities that runs overseas academic programs in Japanese language and cultural studies for university students.[41] Similarly, theAssociated Kyoto Program runs a study-abroad academic program with a focus on cultural, language, and historical learning in and around the Kansai metropolitan area.
Kyoto is served by rail transportation systems operated by several different companies and organizations. The city's main gateway terminal,Kyōto Station, connects theTokaido Shinkansen bullet train line with fiveJR West lines, aKintetsu line, and a municipal subway line.
TheKeihan Electric Railway, theHankyu Railway, and other rail networks also offer frequent services within the city and to other cities and suburbs in theKinki region. Although Kyoto does not have its own commercial airport, the limited expressHaruka operated by JR West carries passengers fromKansai International Airport to Kyōto Station in 73 minutes.[42]
TheKyoto Railway Museum inShimogyō-ku, operated by JR West, displays many steam, diesel, and electric locomotives used in Japan from the 1880s to the present.
Kyoto'smunicipal bus network is extensive. Private carriers also operate within the city. Many tourists join commuters on the public buses, or take tour buses. Kyoto's buses have announcements in English and electronic signs with stops written in the Latin alphabet. Buses operating on routes within the city, the region, and the nation stop atKyōto Station. In addition to Kyōto Station, bus transfer is available at the intersection ofShijō Kawaramachi,Sanjō Keihan Station, and the intersection of Karasuma Kitaōji nearKitaōji Station.
Because many older streets in Kyoto are narrow, there are a significant number of one-way roads without sidewalks.Cycling is a common form of personal transportation in the city, although there are few areas set aside for bicycle parking and bicycles parked in restricted areas are impounded.
Traditionally, trade and haulage took place by waterway, and there continue to be a number of navigable rivers and canals in Kyoto. In contemporary Kyoto, however, waterways are no longer commonly used for transportation of passengers or goods, other than for limited sightseeing purposes such as excursion boats on theHozu River andcormorant fishing boats on theŌi River.
With its 2,000 religious places – 1,600Buddhist temples and 400Shinto shrines, as well as palaces, gardens and architecture intact – it is one of the best preserved cities in Japan. Among the most famous temples in Japan areKiyomizu-dera, a magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a mountain;Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion;Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion; andRyōan-ji, famous for itsrock garden. TheHeian Jingū is a Shinto shrine, built in 1895, celebrating the imperial family and commemorating the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto. Three special sites have connections to the imperial family: the Kyoto Gyoen area including theKyoto Imperial Palace andSentō Imperial Palace, homes of theemperors of Japan for many centuries;Katsura Imperial Villa, one of the nation's finest architectural treasures; andShugakuin Imperial Villa, one of its bestJapanese gardens. In addition, the temple of Sennyu-ji houses the tombs of the emperors fromShijō toKōmei.
Kyoto is renowned for its abundance of delicious Japanese foods and cuisine. The special circumstances of Kyoto as a city away from the sea and home to many Buddhist temples resulted in the development of a variety of vegetables peculiar to the Kyoto area (京野菜,kyō-yasai). The oldest restaurant in Kyoto isHonke Owariya which was founded in 1465.[46]
Japan's television and film industry has its center in Kyoto. Manyjidaigeki, action films featuring samurai, were shot atToei Uzumasa Eigamura.[47] A film set and theme park in one, Eigamura features replicas of traditional Japanese buildings, which are used forjidaigeki. Among the sets are a replica of the oldNihonbashi (the bridge at the entry toEdo), a traditional courthouse, a Meiji Periodpolice box and part of the formerYoshiwara red-light district. Actual film shooting takes place occasionally, and visitors are welcome to observe the action.
Thedialect spoken in Kyoto is known asKyō-kotoba orKyōto-ben, a constituent dialect of theKansai dialect. Until the late Edo period, the Kyoto dialect was thede facto standard Japanese, although it has since been replaced bymodern standard Japanese. Traditional Kyoto expressions include the polite copuladosu, the honorific verb ending-haru, and the greeting phraseokoshi-yasu.
Kyoto is well known for its traditional festivals which have been held for over 1,000 years and are a major tourist attraction.[48] The first is theAoi Matsuri on May 15. Two months later (July) is theGion Matsuri known as one of the 3 great festivals of Japan, culminating in a massive parade on July 17. Kyoto marks theBon Festival with theGozan no Okuribi, lighting fires on mountains to guide the spirits home (August 16). The October 22Jidai Matsuri, Festival of the Ages, celebrates Kyoto's illustrious past.
Several sports teams are based in Kyoto, including professionalfootball andbasketball teams. In football, Kyoto has been represented byKyoto Sanga FC, a club which won theEmperor's Cup in 2002 and rose toJ. League's Division 1 in 2005. Kyoto Sanga began as an amateur non-company club in the 1920s, making it the J. League team with the longest history, although it was only after professionalization in the 1990s that it was able to compete in the Japanese top division. Until 2019, Kyoto Sanga usedTakebishi Stadium Kyoto in Ukyō-ku as its home stadium, but home matches were moved to the city ofKameoka, Kyoto in 2020. There are also several amateur football clubs based in Kyoto. The amateur clubs AS Laranja Kyoto,Ococias Kyoto AC, and Kyoto Shiko Soccer Club compete in the regionalKansai Soccer League.
Another professional team based in Kyoto is theKyoto Hannaryz, a men's basketball team in the First Division of theB.League that plays its home games at theKyoto City Gymnasium in Ukyō-ku. Kyoto has also been the home of other professional teams that have subsequently moved or been disbanded. Between 1949 and 1952, theCentral League professional baseball teamShochiku Robins played home games at Kinugasa Ballpark in Kita-ku and Nishi-Kyōgoku Baseball Park (now known as Wakasa Stadium) in Ukyō-ku. This team eventually became theYokohama DeNA BayStars. Kyoto also hosted two teams in theJapan Women's Baseball League before the league folded in 2021.
Company teams in Kyoto include two rugby squads, theMitsubishi Motors Kyoto Red Evolutions and theShimadzu Breakers, which compete in the Kansai regional rugby leagueTop West. In baseball, company teams have competed in the regional JABA Kyoto Tournament annually since 1947.
In addition to its sister city arrangements which involve multi-faceted cooperation, Kyoto has created a system of "partner cities" which focus on cooperation based on a particular topic. At present, Kyoto has partner-city arrangements with the following cities:[52]
^"Editorial Paragraphs".The Missionary Herald. Vol. 83, no. 4. April 1887. p. 126.
^Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002).Japan Encyclopedia. Translated by Roth, Käthe. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 649.ISBN9780674017535.
^Nakagaawa, Kazuya (November 2006).旧石器時代の京都 [Kyoto in Paleolithic period](PDF).京都府埋蔵文化財情報 (in Japanese).101. 京都府埋蔵文化財調查研究センター: 1.ISSN0286-5424.Archived(PDF) from the original on February 25, 2021. RetrievedNovember 27, 2013.
^Kyoto Exhibitors' Association (1910)Kyoto Kyoto Exhibitors' Association of the Japan-British exhibition, Kyoto, p. 3OCLC1244391
^Ebrey, Patricia; Walthall, Anne (2014).East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Third Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. pp. 79, 148.ISBN978-1-133-60647-5.
^"Partnerská města HMP" [Prague - Twin Cities HMP].Portál "Zahraniční vztahy" [Portal "Foreign Affairs"] (in Czech). July 18, 2013. Archived fromthe original on June 25, 2013. RetrievedAugust 5, 2013.
Fiévé, Nicolas (ed.) (2008)Atlas historique de Kyôto. Analyse spatiale des systèmes de mémoire d'une ville, de son architecture et de ses paysages urbains. Foreword Kôichirô Matsuura, Preface Jacques Gernet, Paris, Éditions de l'UNESCO / Éditions de l'Amateur, 528 pages, 207 maps et 210 ill.ISBN978-2-85917-486-6.
Fiévé, Nicolas and Waley, Paul. (2003). Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective: Place, Power and Memory in Kyoto, Edo and Tokyo. London: Routledge. 417 pages + 75 ill.ISBN978-0-7007-1409-4