8/6/2021 Heian-kyō - Wikipedia

Coordinates: 35°00′N 135°46′E

Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō ( 平 安 京 , lit. "peaceful/tranquil capital") was one of
several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the
official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to
1868 with an interruption in 1180.

Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, moving the

Imperial Court there from nearby Nagaoka-kyō at the
recommendation of his advisor Wake no Kiyomaro and marking the
beginning of the Heian period of Japanese history.[1] According to
modern scholarship, the city is thought to have been modelled after
Daidairi (大内裏, palace in the
the urban planning for the Tang dynasty Chinese capital of Chang'an
center) and the cityscape of Heian-
(modern-day Xi'an).[2][3] It remained the chief political center until kyō (miniature model at the Kyoto
1185, when the samurai Minamoto clan defeated the Taira clan in City Life-long Learning Center)
the Genpei War, moving administration of national affairs to
Kamakura and establishing the Kamakura shogunate.

Though political power would be wielded by the samurai class over the course of three different
shogunates, Heian remained the site of the Imperial Court and seat of Imperial power, and thus
remained the official capital. In fact, even after the seat of Imperial power was moved to Tokyo in 1868,
since there is no law which makes Tokyo the capital, there is a view that Kyoto legally or officially
remains the capital even today.

In 1994, Kyoto City held various events commemorating its 1200th anniversary.

Contents
Description
History
Schematic diagram of Heian-kyō
Gates
Map
See also
References

Description
Heian-kyō was built in what is now the central part of Kyoto city covering an area spanning the Kadono
( 葛 野 郡 , Kadono-gun) and Otagi Districts ( 愛 宕 郡 , Otagi-gun) of Yamashiro Province. The city
boundaries formed a rectangle measuring 4.5 km from east to west and 5.2 km from north to south. The
city layout followed Heijō-kyō (Japan's capital during the Nara period) with the Imperial palace,
Daidairi, placed in the center of the northern city limits and the Suzaku Avenue (Suzaku-ōji), the main
thoroughfare extending from the palace down through the center of the city, dividing it into the Right
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(Ukyō) and Left Capitals (Sakyō) (the eastern side being the Left and
the western side being the Right from the emperor's viewpoint.) The
design followed Sui and Tang dynasty Changan with the exception
that Heian-kyō had no city walls. It is thought that the site for the
city was selected according to the principles of Shijinsōō (四神相応,
"Four Gods Suitability") based on Chinese Feng shui and relating to
the Four Symbols of Chinese astrology.

The boundaries of Heian-kyō were smaller than those of modern Miniature model of the ancient
Kyoto, with Ichijō-ōji (一条大路) at the northern limit corresponding capital Heian-kyō
to present-day Ichijō-dōri (一条通), between Imadegawa-dōri (今出
川 通 ) and Marutamachi-dōri ( 丸 太 町 通 ), Kyūjō-ōji in the south
corresponding to Kujō-dōri ( 九 条 通 ) slightly to the south of the present-day JR Kyōto Station and
Higashi-kyōgoku-ōji in the east corresponding to present-day Teramachi Street (Teramachi-dōri). The
location of Nishi-kyōgoku-ōji at the western limit is estimated as a line running north to south from
Hanazono Station on the JR San'in Main Line to Nishi-Kyōgoku Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.

The layout of Heian-kyō was plotted in accordance with the principles of geomancy as a square city. Jō
(丈, about 3.03m) was the basic unit of measurement. 40 sq. jō made a chō (町, 121.2 meters on each
side). The city was further divided by major streets called ōji (大路) and minor streets called koji (小路).
Four lines of chō running east to west (excepting the first 2 rows in the north) were together called a jō
(条) and four lines of chō running from north to south were called a bō (坊) The Cho which shared the
same Jo and Bo were each given a number from 1 to 16. In this way addresses could be identified as
follows: "Right Capital, Jō Five, Bō Two, Chō Fourteen" (右京五条二坊十四町).

The width of even the minor streets was 4 Jō (丈, about 12m) and for the major streets over 8 Jō (丈,
about 24m). Almost all of the streets in present-day Kyoto have become considerably narrower. Suzaku-
ōji for example was 28 Jō (丈, about 84m) wide. In addition a river ran alongside Horikawa-koji (堀川小
路) and Nishi Horikawa-koji (西堀川小路).

History
In 784 AD emperor Kammu constructed Nagaoka-kyō, moving the
capital from Heijō-kyō. It is thought that he wished to build a new,
Emperor Tenji faction capital far from Yamato Province which was
the power base for the temples and aristocrats who supported the
Emperor Tenmu faction. However, only 9 years later in January 793
AD, Emperor Kammu assembled his retainers and announced
another relocation of the capital (for the reason see the entry on
Nagaoka-kyō.) The location for the new capital was to be Kadono
located between two rivers in the north of Yamashiro, ten kilometers
to the northeast of Nagaoka-kyō. It is said that the Emperor Kammu
had previously looked out on Kadono from the Shōgun Tsuka in
Higashiyama Ward of Kyoto City, deciding then that it was a suitable
location for the capital. Emperor Kammu's words are recorded in the
Nihon Kiryaku as follows: "Kadono has beautiful mountains and
rivers as well as good transport links by sea and land making it
convenient for people to assemble there from all four corners of the
country." Map of Heian-kyō, 1696

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It is thought that the construction of Heian-kyō began from the

palace, with the construction of the remainder of the city following
afterwards. As a display of the emperor's authority the Daigokuden
(main building of the palace) was constructed at the far north of the
central thoroughfare, Suzaku-oji, making the building visible from
anywhere in the city. Ports such as Yodonotsu (淀津, now Yodo) and
Ōitsu ( 大 井 津 ) were set up along the river next to the city. These
ports acted as a transit base for collecting in goods from all over the
country and for forwarding them on to the city. The goods which
arrived in Heian-kyō reached the people by way of one of the two Perspective Pictures of Places in
Japan: Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto

large markets (the East market and the West market.) This
Toyoharu, c. 1772–1781
arrangement provided a stable supply of food and goods which
encouraged population growth. Measures were also taken to guard
against the flooding which had plagued the residents of Nagaoka-
kyō. Although there was no natural river in the center of Heian-kyō, two artificial canals (the present day
Horikawa and Nishi Horikawa) were dug whose water level could be adjusted, simultaneously securing a
supply of water and guarding against flooding. It was also permitted to construct Buddhist temples in
Heian-kyō, something which had been forbidden in Nagaoka-kyō. It was thought that the power of the
East and West temples might protect the city from natural disaster and disease, and priests such as
Kūkai were welcomed, being able men, well versed in Buddhist scripture and with no interest in political
power. On 22 October 794 AD, Emperor Kammu arrived at the new city and on 8 November proclaimed,
"I hereby name this city Heian-kyō." On 8 November, he changed the second kanji character of
Yamashiro from 背 ("back") to 城 ("castle") because the capital looked like a naturally formed "mountain
castle" surrounded by the Eastern (Higashiyama), Northern (Kitayama), and Western (Nishiyama)
mountains.

A movement in favor of returning the capital to Heijō-kyō arose in 810 AD, during a standoff over the
emperor's succession. However, Emperor Saga thought that keeping the capital in Heian-kyō would be
best for the stability of the country and resisted this movement, naming Heian-kyō "The Eternal City"
(万代宮, "Yorozuyo no Miya").

The land of the Right Capital overlapped the wetlands formed by the Katsura River and even by the 9th
century little progress had been made in developing the area. By the 10th century when the Ritsuryō
system was almost at an end, the district had become so dilapidated that it began to be used as farmland,
something which had previously been forbidden within the city limits. With the exception of an area in
the north of the Right Capital near to the palace, the residential areas which housed the aristocracy were
all situated in the Left Capital, with the highest echelon of aristocrats such as the Fujiwara clan gathering
in the northernmost part of the district. The poor of Heian-kyō began to set up home by the Kamo River,
beyond the eastern limits of the city, and on the eastern banks of the river temples and country homes
sprung up. So started a tendency for the city to extend out to the east. In 980 AD, at the southern tip of
Suzaku-oji the Rajōmon (the grandest of the two city gates) collapsed never to be rebuilt. In this way the
original borders of Heian-kyō extended out to the east, forming the streets of first medieval and then
modern-day Kyoto.

With the advent of the Kanto centered Kamakura and Edo shogunates, Heian-kyō began to lose its
significance as a seat of power. The greatest decline was during the Muromachi and Sengoku periods
when almost half the city was burnt to the ground during the Ōnin war. After this Heian-kyō separated
into upper (Kamigyō) and lower (Shimogyō) cities each becoming places of little note. However, the two
were to be reunited into one city during the Azuchi–Momoyama period following the ascension of Oda
Nobunaga. During the Meiji Revolution, Edo was re-christened Tokyo (becoming the new capital of
Japan). Although Heian-kyō lost its status as capital city, it became a backup capital while the emperor

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was away in Tokyo. Since that time the emperor has not returned to Kyoto. However, at the direction of
the Emperor Meiji, the imperial residences have been preserved and the takamikura (高御座)—a special
throne whose location traditionally marked the seat of the emperor—remains at the palace in Kyoto.

Schematic diagram of Heian-kyō

The green areas in the diagram are markets, temples and a garden. There were two large markets, West
Market (西市) and East Market (東市), facing the seventh street, Shichijō-ōji (七条大路). Tō-ji ( 東 寺 ,
"East Temple") and Sai-ji (西寺, "West Temple") were Buddhist temples built on the southern edge of the
capital. An imperial garden called Shinsenen (ja:神泉苑) was adjacent to the Daidairi.

Note that there were more paths cut short by residences straddling multiple blocks.

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In English (major streets and palace only):

Note: "七条大路" erroneously listed twice in the diagram.

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Gates

The gates of the Daidairi are marked in Japanese Kanji in the above grid, below are the romanization of
said gate names alongside the kanji:

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Side

Gate name Street name

(direction)

Bifuku-mon 美福門 Mibu

South side

(east to west) Suzaku-mon 朱雀門 Suzaku-ōji

Kōga-mon 皇嘉門 Kōgamon-ōji

Datten-mon 談天門 Ōimikado

West side
Sōheki-mon 藻壁門 Nakamikado
(south to north)
Impu-mon 殷富門 Konoe

Jōsai-mon 上西門 Tsuchimikado

Anka-mon 安嘉門
North side

(west to east) Ikan-mon 偉鑒門

Tachi-mon 達智門

Jōtō-mon 上東門 Tsuchimikado

East side
Yōmei-mon 陽明門 Konoe
(north to south)
Taiken-mon 待賢門 Nakamikado

Ikuhō-mon 郁芳門 Ōimikado

Map
Below is a 1696 map of Kyoto, known as Genroku 9 Kyoto Daizu (元禄九年京都大絵図) (http://tois.nichi
bun.ac.jp/chizu/santoshi_157.html) held by the International Research Center for Japanese Studies
(Nichibunken) (http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/welcome_e.htm).

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Old map of Kyoto

See also
Heian Palace
Chiteiki, a mid-Heian period text describing social issues within the capital
Timeline of Kyoto
Cosmology of Kyoto, a visual novel interactive computer game for Windows 3.1 set in 900 AD Heian-
kyō

References
1. Hall, John Whitney (1988). The Cambridge History of Japan. Cambridge University Press. pp. 516–
17. ISBN 0521223571.
2. Barnes, Gina L (2017). Archaeology of East Asia: the Rise of Civilisation in China, Korea and Japan
(https://www.worldcat.org/title/archaeology-of-east-asia-the-rise-of-civilisation-in-china-korea-and-jap
an/oclc/1118490353&referer=brief_results). Oxford: Oxbow Books : [distributor] Orca Book Services :
[distributor] Oxford University Press Southern Africa : [distributor] David Brown Book Company.
ISBN 978-1-78570-667-7. OCLC 1118490353 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1118490353).
3. Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2006, p. 103.

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