Muromachi Street
Encyclopedia
is a north-south street
in Kyoto
, Japan. It was originally a path called of the ancient capital of Heian-kyō
, which is now Kyoto. It lies to the west of where the subway Karasuma Line runs. It extends from running through Kita-ku
in the north to running through Minami-ku
in the south. Higashi Hongan-ji Temple and Kyoto Station
block this street.
In 1378, the third shogun
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
established a luxurious palace near the intersection. The palace, known as or , was the political and cultural center of the country. This is the etymology
of the Muromachi shogunate, which enjoyed prosperity until the Onin War
from 1467 to 1477. After the war, Kyoto was in ruins and disintegrated into two areas, Kamigyō
and Shimogyō
, and Muromachi Street was the only road connecting them. This period is called the Muromachi period
, named after the shogunate.
In the Edo period
, Muromachi saw growth of kimono
wholesalers. Some of them are centuries-old and still doing business today.
In July, merchant districts, centered around the intersection in Shimogyō, build parade floats for the Gion Matsuri
festival, called .
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan. It was originally a path called of the ancient capital of Heian-kyō
Heian-kyo
Heian-kyō , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180....
, which is now Kyoto. It lies to the west of where the subway Karasuma Line runs. It extends from running through Kita-ku
Kita-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Its name means "North Ward." As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 122,391 people.-Universities:*Bukkyo University*Kyoto Sangyo University...
in the north to running through Minami-ku
Minami-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Its name means "South Ward." It was established in 1955 when it was separated from Shimogyo-ku. As of April, 2008 the ward has an estimated population of 98,320 people. The Kamo River and the Katsura River flow through...
in the south. Higashi Hongan-ji Temple and Kyoto Station
Kyoto Station
is the most important transportation hub in Kyoto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest train station building and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof...
block this street.
In 1378, the third shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
was the 3rd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who ruled from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was the son of the second shogun Ashikaga Yoshiakira....
established a luxurious palace near the intersection. The palace, known as or , was the political and cultural center of the country. This is the etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the Muromachi shogunate, which enjoyed prosperity until the Onin War
Onin War
The ' was a civil war that lasted 10 years during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
from 1467 to 1477. After the war, Kyoto was in ruins and disintegrated into two areas, Kamigyō
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Located in the center of the present-day city of Kyoto, Japan it previously occupied the northern region of the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Kamo River flows on the eastern border of the ward...
and Shimogyō
Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. First established in 1879, it has been merged and split, and took on its present boundaries in 1955, with the establishment of a separate Minami-ku....
, and Muromachi Street was the only road connecting them. This period is called the Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
, named after the shogunate.
In the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, Muromachi saw growth of kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
wholesalers. Some of them are centuries-old and still doing business today.
In July, merchant districts, centered around the intersection in Shimogyō, build parade floats for the Gion Matsuri
Gion Matsuri
The takes place annually in Kyoto and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It spans the entire month of July and is crowned by a parade, the on July 17. It takes its name from Kyoto's Gion district....
festival, called .
Establishments
- Ritsumeikan Primary School (:ja:立命館小学校)
- Muromachi Hospital (室町病院)
- Kamigyo Junior High School (上京中学校)
- Heian Jogakuin UniversityHeian Jogakuin Universityis a private women's college with campuses in Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. The school was established in 2000.-External links:*...
- Heian Jogakuin St. Agnes Junior High School and High School (:ja:平安女学院中学校・高等学校)
- Kyoto Art CenterKyoto Art CenterKyoto Art Center is a center for promoting arts, and located in the heart of Kyoto.Before the center was founded, there was Meirin elementary school founded by local people of Kyoto in the Meiji era....
(:ja:京都芸術センター) - Ikenobo CollegeIkenobo Collegeis a private junior college in Kyoto, Japan, established in 1952.-External links:*...
- Higashi Hongan-ji