Historic city of Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is located in the central part of Japan’s Honshu island, 50 kilometres north east of the industrial city of Osaka. It is surrounded by hills on three sides and opens to the southwest towards Osaka. To the North east is the Mountain Hiei and to the northwest is Mount Atago. The Japanese believed that evil spirits gained access from Northern corners and the two mountain were considered natural guardians. The rivers Kamo and Katsura were respectively the original eastern and western boundaries. The city slopes gently downwards from north to south and is at average of 55 metres above sea level. Hence, the site was chosen for its rivers, roads and auspicious topography. 

The house of several cultural landmarks and historical sites, Kyoto is believed to be the heart of Japan. Originally named as Heian in 794, it enjoyed its golden age from 794 to 1185. Over the course of 1200 years, the city has been seen to preserve and nurture its heritage as well as build over it.

Kyoto, called Heian-kyo then, was planned on the model of Tang dynasty’s Changan. Occupying a total area of 6000 acres, the city runs 3 miles east to west and 3.5 miles from north to south. The city was enclosed by earthen embankment and protected by a moat surrounding the city. Within, the city was formed into 1200 blocks of uniform size, divided into a grid of streets. On the south was the main entrance and to the north was the Imperial palace. Connecting the two, Suzaku Avenue, divided the city in two halves. On either sides, were two markets called the east and west markets respectively. The imperial palace also housed the governmental and residential buildings. However, the 10^th century saw a decline of the western part of the city from a metropolitan to rural, area with fields and gardens. Eventually the market in the west was shut down. Over time, the markets transformed from a place of commerce to festivities. Residents moved towards the eastern side and the city was named Kyoto.

In the medieval times, the Government was weakened and replaced by military rule. To the east of the Kamo river, a military town for Samurai residences was developed to overlook the functioning of the city. At the same time, the Hiei Mountain became the main centre of Buddhism and consequently, many temples were built in the north eastern direction. Individual sects of Buddhism as well as Zen spread across the city. The character of the city transformed into that of a strong religious centre. Thus the city saw a blend of aristocratic culture, Buddhism and Zen culture of Samurais, resulting into the emergence of many of the traditional arts and crafts.

Despite being withered by wars, earthquakes and fires, Kyoto has managed to survive and been the repository of Japanese culture for several years. Various cultural institutions flourished like Japanese traditional dance of Kabuki, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, traditional Japanese drama Noh theatre, tea ceremony (cha-no-yu), floral arranging (ikebana) and pottery making. The traditional humorous pantomime, Mibu kyogen is also performed in the theatres. The early settlers of Kyoto were Korean immigrants who brought with them the art of sericulture and silk weaving which became a trade commodity. The important piece of artwork has been exhibited in temples and shrines and declared as national treasures.  Three major festivals are celebrated here – aoi matsuri (festival of hollylock flowers), Jidai matsuri (festival of ages) which is a parade depicting Japan’s history, Gion Matsuri (festival of shrines).

As suggested by the history of the city, as many as 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 shrines are found in the city. Most famous of them are, East Hongan temple which has the world’s biggest wooden roof and West Hongan Temple which exemplifies finest architectural and artistic expressions of the time. Ryoan temple, Tenryu temple, Kiyomizu temple built on stilts, Kinkaki temple and the golden Pavilion are few of the ancient gems of the city. A typical house in Kyoto is characterized by narrow streets and low heighted front vestibule facing the street, which increases in height as well as embellishment as we go in. Tiled roof and wooden architecture prevails. A history of earthquakes, wars and fires has led to destruction of the city’s ancient architecture. What we see today is a result of replacement and renovations of the 17^th century. Two magnificient examples from the Heian period are the Phoenix Hall and Byodo temple. Several historic temples and shrines are now listed as world heritage sites by UNESCO. 

While on one hand Kyoto eternalises the old traditions, spirit and culture of Japan, on the other hand, it builds and expands on its rich heritage as groundwork to keep up with the world today. The City is continuously developed with latest infrastructure but at the same time old streets and houses are cherished. The old and the new co-exist beautifully in Kyoto. A traveler and write, Chris Rowthorn, says, “I love Kyoto because it’s rich, deep and incredibly liveable. I’ve spent over 20 years in the city and I still make new discoveries every day. If I vary my daily walking route just a bit, I am bound to find something new: a secret temple, an interesting shop or a great place to eat.”