 Kyoto Prefecture (京都府, Kyōto-fu) - A
prefecture of Japan located in the Kinki region of the
island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kyoto.
Kyoto is located almost in the center of Honshū and of
Japan. It covers an area of 4612.71 km², which is 1.2% of
Japan. Kyoto is 31st by size. To the north, Kyoto faces the
Sea of Japan and Fukui Prefecture. To the south, it faces
Osaka and Nara Prefectures. To the east, it faces Mie and
Shiga Prefectures. To the west, it faces Hyōgo Prefecture.
Kyoto is separated in the middle by the Tanba Mountains.
This makes the climate of Kyoto very different in the north
and south.
 For most of its history, the city of Kyoto was the Imperial
capital of Japan. The history of the city itself can be
traced back as far as the 6th century. In 544, the Aoi
Matsuri was held in Kyoto to pray for good harvest and good
weather.
Kyoto did not start out as the capital of Japan. A
noteworthy earlier capital was Nara. In 741, Emperor Shōmu
moved the capital briefly to a place called Kuni-kyo,
between the cities of Nara and Kyoto, in present-day Kyoto
Prefecture. In 784, the capital was moved to Nagaokakyo,
also in present-day Kyoto Prefecture. In 794, Emperor Kammu
moved the capital to Heian-kyo, and this was the beginning
of the current-day city of Kyoto. Even today, almost all of
the streets, houses, stores, temples and shrines in the city
of Kyoto exist where they were placed in this year.
Although in 1192 real political power shifted to Kamakura,
where a samurai clan established the shogunate, Kyoto still
remained the imperial capital as the powerless emperors and
their court continued to be seated in the city. Imperial
rule was briefly restored in 1333, but another samurai clan
established a new shogunate in Kyoto three years later.
In 1467, a great civil war, the Ōnin no Ran, took place
inside Kyoto, and most of the town was burned down. Japan
plunged into the age of warring feudal lords. A new strong
man, Tokugawa Ieyasu, established the shogunate at Edo
(today's Tokyo) in 1603.
The Meiji Restoration returned Japan to imperial rule in
1868. Emperor Meiji, who was now the absolute sovereign,
went to stay in Tokyo during the next year. The imperial
court has not returned to Kyoto since then.
Although many Japanese major cities were heavily bombed by
US bombers during World War II, the old capital was
protected from devastating bombing. This was partly due to a
study of Japanese culture by the anthropologist Ruth
Benedict (author of 'The Chrysanthemum and The
Sword').[citation needed] During the occupation, the U.S.
6th Army was headquartered in Kyoto.
The city of Kyoto is largely dependent on tourism. Northern
Kyoto on the Tango Peninsula has fishing and water
transportation, and midland Kyoto has agriculture and
forestry. Nintendo is headquartered in the city of Kyoto.
Kyoto has been and still remains to this day, the cultural
center of Japan. For over 1000 years it was Japan's capital.
When the capital was changed to Tokyo, Kyoto remained
Japan's cultural capital .
The city of Kyoto is one of the most popular tourist spots
in Japan, and many people from far and wide visit there.
Along with Nara, Kyoto is a favorite location for the
graduation trip of Elementary and Junior High schools.
Some of the festivals held in Kyoto are Aoi Matsuri from
544, Gion Matsuri from 869, Ine Matsuri from the Edo-era,
Daimonji Gozan Okuribi from 1662, and Jidai Matsuri from
1895. Every shrine and temple holds some sort of event, and
many of them are open for public viewing.
Fifteen cities are located in Kyoto Prefecture.
Ayabe
Fukuchiyama
Jōyō
Kameoka
Kizugawa
Kyōtanabe
Kyōtango
Kyoto (capital)
Maizuru
Miyazu
Mukō
Nagaokakyō
Nantan
Uji
Yawata
Information source: “Kyoto Prefecture.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 24 Jan. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Kyoto Prefecture>. |
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