Page 181 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

A lady walking towards Ginza’s Yasaka Shrine

KYOTO CITY

Founded in 794 as Heian-kyo (capital of peace
and tranquility), the city was modeled on the Tang
Chinese city of Chang-an. Bounded on three sides
by mountains and bisected by a river flowing north
to south, the site was considered ideal by Emperor
Kanmu’s geo mancers (people who practiced the
art of divination by interpreting markings in the
earth). As the population grew, however, hygiene
was a problem, especially when the Kamo River
flooded. A series of rituals and festivals came into
being to placate the spirits responsible for plagues
and other catastrophes, result ing in a tightly knit
fabric of ritual and custom, mostly still observed.
Kyoto culture became an amalgam of several
influences, of which the imperial court and nobility
were the first and most important. Later came the
samurai, patrons of Zen Buddhism, and the tea
ceremony. Merchants were also influential,
especially the silk weavers of Nishijin. The city was
reduced to ashes at various times by earthquakes,
fires, and the ten-year period of civil strife known
as the Onin War (1467–77). During the Edo period
(1603–1868), the balance of power shifted from
Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo), and Kyoto eventually lost
its status as capital in 1869. Despite this, Kyoto
retains its refined, imperial air, while at the same
time embracing all that comes with being a
cosmopolitan 21st-century city.
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