Sōja ( 総社 ) is a type of Shinto shrine where the kami of a region are grouped together into a single sanctuary. This "region" may refer to a shōen , village or geographic area, but is more generally referred to as a whole province . The term is also occasionally called " sōsha ". The sōja are usually located near the provincial capital established in the Nara period under then ritsuryō system, and can either be a newly created shrine, or a designation for an existing shrine. The "sōja" can also be the " ichinomiya " of the province, which themselves are of great ritual importance.
57-511: Whenever a new kokushi was appointed by the central government to govern a province, it was necessary for him to visit all of the sanctuaries of his province in order to complete the rites necessary for ceremonial inauguration. Grouping the kami into one location near the capital of the province greatly facilitated this duty, The first mention of "sōja" appeared in the Heian period , in the diary of Taira no Tokinori, dated March 9, 1099 in reference to
114-772: A Kintetsu line, and a municipal subway line. The Keihan Electric Railway , the Hankyu Railway , and other rail networks also offer frequent services within the city and to other cities and suburbs in the Kinki region. Although Kyoto does not have its own commercial airport, the limited express Haruka operated by JR West carries passengers from Kansai International Airport to Kyōto Station in 73 minutes. The Kyoto Railway Museum in Shimogyō-ku , operated by JR West, displays many steam, diesel, and electric locomotives used in Japan between
171-596: A major industry of Kyoto; Kyoto's kimono 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 brewers Gekkeikan and Takara Holdings are found in Kyoto. Other notable businesses headquartered in Kyoto include Aiful , Ishida , Nissen Holdings , Gyoza no Ohsho , Sagawa Express , Volks , and Wacoal . As of 1 May 2023, there were 154 municipal public elementary schools in Kyoto, with
228-697: 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 the Hozu River and cormorant fishing boats on the Ōi River . Although ravaged by wars, fires, and earthquakes during its eleven centuries as the imperial capital, Kyoto suffered only minor damage in World War II . Kyoto remains Japan's cultural center. About 20% of Japan's National Treasures and 14% of Important Cultural Properties exist in
285-425: A population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-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 larger Greater Kyoto , a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people. It is also part of the even larger Keihanshin metropolitan area , along with Osaka and Kobe . Kyoto
342-442: A result, its prewar cultural heritage has mostly been preserved. Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan and is a major tourist destination. The agency for cultural affairs of the national government is headquartered in the city. It is home to numerous Buddhist temples , Shinto shrines , palaces and gardens, some of which have been designated collectively as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . Prominent landmarks include
399-496: 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. Kyoto has fewer toll-highways than other Japanese cities of comparable size. There are nine national highways in the city of Kyoto: Route 1 , Route 8 , Route 9 , Route 24 , Route 162 , Route 171 , Route 367 , Route 477 , and Route 478 . The city
456-490: 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. Home to 40 institutions of higher education , Kyoto is one of the academic centers in Japan. Kyoto University is ranked highly among all universities nationwide, with eight Nobel laureates and two Prime Ministers of Japan among its alumni. The Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences and
513-456: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kyoto Kyoto ( / ˈ k j oʊ t oʊ / ; Japanese : 京都 , Kyōto [kʲoꜜːto] ), officially Kyoto City ( 京都市 , Kyōto-shi , [kʲoːtoꜜɕi] ) , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan 's largest and most populous island of Honshu . As of 2020 , the city had
570-646: Is connected with other parts of Japan by the Meishin Expressway , which has two interchanges in the city: Kyoto-higashi Interchange (Kyoto East) in Yamashina-ku and Kyoto-minami Interchange [ ja ] (Kyoto South) in Fushimi-ku. The Kyoto Jūkan Expressway connects the city to the northern regions of Kyoto Prefecture. The Second Keihan Highway is another bypass to Osaka. Traditionally, trade and haulage took place by waterway, and there continue to be
627-422: Is dwindling and wells across the area are drying at an increasing rate. Kyoto has a humid 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's rainy season begins around the middle of June and lasts until the end of July, yielding to a hot and sunny latter half of
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#1732876761354684-558: Is located to the south of the Kyoto Imperial Palace . In the center of the city, there are several covered shopping arcades only open to pedestrian traffic, such as Teramachi Street and Shinkyōgoku Street . The original city was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an / Luoyang . The Imperial Palace faced south, resulting in Ukyō (the right sector of
741-404: Is one of the oldest municipalities in Japan, having been chosen in 794 as the new seat of Japan's imperial court by Emperor Kanmu . The original city, named Heian-kyō , was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang . The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869. It
798-584: The Associated 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 the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line with five JR West lines,
855-456: The Kyoto Imperial Palace , Kiyomizu-dera , Kinkaku-ji , Ginkaku-ji , and Kyoto Tower . The internationally renowned video game company Nintendo is based in Kyoto. Kyoto is also a center of higher learning in the country, and its institutions include Kyoto University , the second-oldest university in Japan. In Japanese, Kyoto was previously called Kyō ( 京 ), Miyako ( 都 ), Kyō no Miyako ( 京の都 ), and Keishi ( 京師 ) . After becoming
912-463: The Kyōto Station complex. Kyoto became a city designated by government ordinance on September 1, 1956. In 1994, 17 historic monuments in Kyoto were inscribed on the list as UNESCO World Heritage Sites . In 1997, Kyoto hosted the conference that resulted in the protocol on greenhouse gas emissions ( United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ). Kyoto is located in a valley, part of
969-618: The Uji River to the south, the Katsura River to the west, and the Kamo 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
1026-573: The Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics , both part of the university, have been affiliated with influential mathematicians and physicists. Private universities such as Doshisha University and Ritsumeikan University are also located in the city. The Consortium 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
1083-454: The kokushi became a new category of manorial lords. As the Sesshō and Kampaku and Great Council Ministers were allowed to fill any vacant kami posts, and send their private deputies, the mokudai , to take care of the practical governing duties, the whole system of kokushi became increasingly corrupt. As the mokudai were also appointed from powerful local clans, the provincial government
1140-485: The kokushi . Due to the ever strengthening resistance, the kokushi returned to the safety of the central government in Kyoto and appointed an acting governor ( mokudai ), the daikan of the kokushi , who governed the province locally while the kokushi took the role of a supervisor. Following the establishment of local governments ( rusudokoro ) of the mokudai and the installation of provincial fiefdoms ( chigyōkoku ),
1197-571: The ritsuryō system began to decline, the position of kokushi was seen as one type of income source. In September 826, princes of the Imperial Family were appointed as kokushi in Kazusa Province , Hitachi Province and Kōzuke Province . These kami -class kokushi were called taishu , and as they did not leave the capital and work at their assigned province, provinces with no local governor were born. In contrast to this, kami who left
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#17328767613541254-536: The shogun and shikken in contrast to the kokushi who were appointed by the Imperial Court. The shugo gradually usurped power away from the kokushi , becoming the de facto governors while the kokushi remained the de jure governors, though powerless titleholders in practice. Even after the abolishment of medieval manors, politically, the kokushi remained as an honorific title until Meiji Restoration in 1868. This Japanese history–related article
1311-523: The 1880s and the present. The Tokaidō Shinkansen , operated by JR Central , provides high-speed rail service linking Kyoto with Nagoya , Yokohama , and Tokyo to the east and with nearby Osaka to the west. Beyond Osaka, many trains boarding at Kyoto continue on the San'yō Shinkansen route managed by JR West, providing access to cities including Kobe , Okayama , Hiroshima , Kitakyushu , and Fukuoka . The trip from Tokyo to Kyoto takes around 2.5 hours, and
1368-553: The Kadono district of Yamashiro Province . The new city, Heian-kyō ( 平安京 , "tranquility and peace capital") , modeled after Chinese Tang dynasty capital Chang'an , became the seat of Japan's imperial court in 794, beginning the Heian period of Japanese history . Although military rulers established their governments either in Kyoto ( Muromachi shogunate ) or in other cities such as Kamakura ( Kamakura shogunate ) and Edo ( Tokugawa shogunate ), Kyoto remained Japan's capital until
1425-773: The Transportation Bureau and Kintetsu jointly operate through services which continue to Kintetsu Nara Station in Nara , the capital city of Nara Prefecture . The Tōzai Line runs from the southeastern area of the city towards the center, then east to west ( tōzai in Japanese) through the Kyoto downtown area where trains run beneath the east–west streets of Sanjō Street , Oike Street , and Oshikōji Street [ ja ] . The Keihan Keishin Line has been integrated into this line, and thus Keihan provides through services to Hamaōtsu in
1482-506: 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, 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,
1539-509: The capital of Japan at the start of the Heian period (794–1185), the city was often referred to as Heian-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 of Edo and that city was renamed " Tōkyō " ( 東京 , meaning "eastern capital"), Kyoto was briefly known as "Saikyō" ( 西京 , meaning "western capital"). As
1596-456: The capital of Japan from 794 to 1868, Kyoto is sometimes called the thousand-year capital ( 千年の都 ). Historically, foreign spellings for the city's name have included Kioto and Miaco or Meaco . Ample archeological evidence suggests human settlement in the area of Kyoto began as early as the Paleolithic period, although not much published material is retained about human activity in
1653-427: The capital to occupy their local office became known as zuryō . After the 10th century, following the instability and dissolution of the ritsuryō system, the former duties of district governors ( gunji ) and lower officials were taken over by the kokushi , making the kokushi even more powerful. However, in response to the rising power of the kokushi , the district governors and commoners began fighting against
1710-408: 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, and Shimogyō-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
1767-576: The central government in Kyoto to oversee a province , a system that was established as part of the Taika Reform in 645, and enacted by the Ritsuryō system. There were four classes of kokushi , from the highest to the lowest: Kami (守), Suke (介), Jō (掾), and Sakan (目). In the Middle Ages, an acting governor called mokudai , the daikan of the kokushi , took over the local government of
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1824-417: 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 called odoi ( 御土居 ) encircling
1881-453: The city government announced that a record number of tourists had visited Kyoto. As a result of a sharp decline in tourism during the COVID-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. Traditional Japanese crafts are also
1938-535: The city government. The Consortium does not offer degrees, but allows students of member universities to take courses at other member universities. In addition to Japanese universities and colleges, educational institutions from other countries operate programs in the city. The Kyoto 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. Similarly,
1995-515: The city, which showed the rebels' dissatisfaction towards the Tokugawa Shogunate. At the start of the Meiji 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 of Lake Biwa Canal in 1890 was one measure taken to revive the city. The population of the city exceeded one million in 1932. There
2052-640: The city. Teramachi Street in central Kyoto is a Buddhist temple quarter where Toyotomi gathered temples in the city. In 1603, the Tokugawa Shogunate was established at Edo (present-day Tokyo), marking the beginning of the Edo period . Nevertheless, Kyoto flourished as one of three major cities in Japan , the others being Osaka and Edo. At the end of the period, the Hamaguri rebellion of 1864 burned down 28,000 houses in
2109-401: The country in population decrease for two consecutive years. However, the population of the city rises during standard working hours, and Kyoto ranks seventh in Japan in terms of daytime population . Approximately 55% of the total population of Kyoto Prefecture is concentrated in the city of Kyoto, which is the highest ratio among the prefectures of Japan. The city of Kyoto is governed by
2166-602: The creation of new administrative districts and a number of municipal mergers that took place between the 1920s and the 1970s, the contemporary city of Kyoto is divided into eleven wards ( 区 , ku ) . The central wards, located to the west of the Kamo River, are small and densely populated. The city hall is located in Nakagyō-ku , and the Kyoto prefectural offices are located in present-day Kamigyō-ku . Kyoto contains roughly 2,000 temples and shrines. The main business district
2223-498: The four provincial classes ( dai , jō , chū , and ge ) it belonged to. They held considerable power, as they were in charge of the administration, finance, law, and military of the province. In the beginning, the term of office was six years, but later reduced to four years, with the exception of some special provinces. During the tenure, the kokushi received income through tax collection, and later received financial privileges that central government officials did not receive. As
2280-448: The late 16th century, when its population was surpassed by those of Osaka and Edo . Before World War II, Kyoto vied with Kobe and Nagoya 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 , it was the ninth-largest city in Japan by population and had led
2337-612: The mayor of Kyoto and the Kyoto City Assembly, a municipal council . 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 the Liberal Democratic Party , Komeito , and the Democratic Civic Forum. Between the founding of the modern city and 1898, the governor of Kyoto Prefecture also acted as
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2394-521: 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 the Minister of Home Affairs . Since 1947, mayors of Kyoto have been chosen by direct election to four-year terms. As of 2024, there have been ten mayors elected using this system. While some mayors have resigned or died in office, no mayor has lost a reelection bid in
2451-597: The neighboring city of Ōtsu , the capital of Shiga Prefecture . Within the city of Kyoto, the Tōzai Line also connects to the Keihan lines at Yamashina Station , Misasagi Station , and Sanjō Keihan Station , and to the Keifuku Electric Railroad at the terminal of Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station . Kyoto's municipal bus network is extensive. Private carriers also operate within the city. Many tourists join commuters on
2508-898: The postwar period. In the 2024 Kyoto mayoral election , independent candidate Koji Matsui was elected for the first time, supported by the Liberal Democratic Party , Komeito , the Constitutional Democratic Party , and the Democratic Party for the People . Information technology and electronics are key industries in Kyoto. The city is home to the headquarters of Nintendo , Intelligent Systems , SCREEN Holdings , Tose , Hatena , Omron , Kyocera , Shimadzu , Rohm , Horiba , Nidec Corporation , Nichicon , Nissin Electric , and GS Yuasa . Domestic and international tourism contributes significantly to Kyoto's economy. In 2014,
2565-674: The province of Inaba . The name "Sōja" is also found in place names such as the city of Sōja in Okayama Prefecture . Rokusho shrine (six place) is a very common Soja shrine name. Regional Soja Shrines are Soja shrines dedicated to a specific region rather than a whole province. These include This article relating to Shinto is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kokushi (official) Kokushi ( 国司 , also read Kuni no tsukasa ) were provincial officials in Classical Japan . They were nobles sent from
2622-459: The province, while the kokushi returned to the capital to take on a supervising role. The oldest reference to the term kokushi appears on the Seventeen-article constitution from 604. As part of the Taika Reform in 645, a new system of provincial government was established, marking the beginning of the kokushi . Before this, the governors were called mikotomochi (宰 or 使者). This term
2679-586: 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 at Kyōto Station . In addition to Kyōto Station, bus transfer is available at the intersection of Shijō Kawaramachi , Sanjō Keihan Station , and the intersection of Karasuma Kitaōji near Kitaōji Station . Because many older streets in Kyoto are narrow, there are
2736-457: The region before the 6th century, around which time the Shimogamo Shrine is believed to have been established. During the 8th century, when powerful Buddhist 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 in Nara . His last choice for the site was the village of Uda, in
2793-468: The summer. Kyoto, like most of the Pacific coast and central areas of Japan, is prone to typhoons during the summer and autumn. 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
2850-646: The terminal of Kokusaikaikan Station and Takeda Station , and takes its name from the fact that trains run beneath Karasuma Street between Kitaōji Station in Kita-ku and Jūjō Station in Minami-ku. The Karasuma Line connects to the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line at the intersection of Shijō Karasuma in Kyoto's central business district and to JR lines and the Kyoto Kintetsu Line at Kyōto Station. In addition,
2907-641: The transfer of the imperial court to Tokyo in 1869 at the time of the Imperial Restoration . In the Sengoku period , the city suffered extensive destruction in the Ōnin War of 1467–1477, and did not really recover until the mid-16th century. 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
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#17328767613542964-730: The trip from Hakata Station in Fukuoka to Kyoto takes just over three hours by the fastest train service Nozomi . All Shinkansen trains stop at Kyōto Station, including Hikari and Kodama trains. The Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau operates the Kyoto Municipal Subway consisting of two lines: the Karasuma Line and the Tōzai Line . The two lines are linked at Karasuma Oike Station near Kyoto's central business district. The Karasuma Line runs primarily north to south between
3021-478: Was drifting increasingly farther away from the central government in Kyoto. After the Heian period , the highest official, kami , became also known as zuryō ( 受領 ). The term originally meant the change of office to a newly assigned kokushi . In the Kamakura period , following the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate , the samurai formed their own provincial government, the shugo who were appointed by
3078-472: Was largely spared from conventional bombing as well, although small-scale air raids did result in casualties. During the occupation, the U.S. Sixth Army and I Corps were headquartered in Kyoto. 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 as machiya . However, modernization is continually breaking down traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as
3135-410: Was replaced with the kanji characters 国 (province) and 司 (governor), and thus became known as kokushi . The kokushi were divided into four classes (四等官, sitōkan ), from the highest to the lowest: Kami (守), Suke (介), Jō (掾), and Sakan (目). Japan was divided into 66 provinces and two islands, and the number of kokushi officials and classes appointed to each province depended on which of
3192-541: Was some consideration by the United States of targeting Kyoto with an atomic bomb at the end of World War II because of the possibility that the city's importance was great enough that its loss might persuade Japan to surrender. In the end, at the insistence of Henry L. Stimson , Secretary of War in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the city was removed from the list of targets and replaced by Nagasaki . The city
3249-741: Was the scene of several key events of the Muromachi period , Sengoku period , and the Boshin War , such as the Ōnin War , the Honnō-ji Incident , the Kinmon incident , and the Battle of Toba–Fushimi . The capital was relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo after the Meiji Restoration . The modern municipality of Kyoto was established in 1889. The city was spared from large-scale destruction during World War II and, as
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