Streets of Kyoto

Machiya storefronts on Shinmachi-dôri, near Nishiki-kôji.

Kyoto is one of the few cities in Japan to have named streets organized on a grid system. The city was ravaged by the wars of the Sengoku period, and largely rebuilt around 1590, under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The city is framed on three sides by Kita-ôji in the north, Nishi-ôji in the west, and Higashi-ôji in the east.

In the southern half of the city, many of the major avenues are numbered, from Ichijô (First Avenue) in the center of the city, down to Jûjô (Tenth Avenue) in the south.

East-West Roads, listed from North to South

• Sanjô-dôri (三条通, "Third Avenue") - The Sanjô Ôhashi (large bridge over the Kamogawa) marked the western end of the Tôkaidô.

• Shijô-dôri (四条通, "Fourth Avenue") - The area around the intersection between Shijô and Kawaramachi is known as the site of the birth of kabuki, and remains a popular nightlife area today.

• Gojô-dôri (五条通, "Fifth Avenue") - The Gojô Ôhashi (bridge over the Kamogawa) is said to have been the site of the first meeting between Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei.

North-South Roads, listed from West to East

• Horikawa-dôri (堀川通) is one of the major north-south avenues in the city, and runs largely parallel to the Horikawa River. In the Heian period, the street was called Horikawa-ôji, and divided into two - Higashi (East) Horikawa-dôri and Nishi (West) Horikawa-dôri - flanking the river, which was a major waterway for the transportation of goods and commodities. A lumber market, and surrounding neighborhood of lumber merchants' residences, was found alongside the Horikawa at that time. Today, much of the Horikawa has been placed underground.

• Aburanokôji-dôri (油小路通, lit. "Oil Street") is one of the original roads from the Heian period; at that time, it was the longest north-south street in the city. Aburanokôji is famous for being the location of the original Honnô-ji, and connects central Kyoto to Fushimi.

• Ogawa-dôri (小川通, lit. "Stream Street") was a new street constructed in 1590. It was named after the small stream which flows into the Horikawa River near Ichijô-dôri.

• Nishinotôin-dôri (西洞院通) was known as Nishinotôin-ôji in the Heian period, and runs alongside the Nishinotôin River. Many dyers who made use of the river lived along this street. The street is also known for a local specialty paper, known as Nishinotôin-shi.

• Kamanza-dôri (釜座通, lit. "pot/cauldron guild street") was one of the new streets constructed in 1590. It is named after the fact that many pot/cauldron-makers operated near the intersection of this street and Sanjô-dôri.

• Shinmachi-dôri (新町通, lit. "new town street") was originally, in the Heian period, known as Machijiri-kôji. It was a major site of public markets and fairs. After Hideyoshi's reconstruction of the city, the street was renamed Shinmachi-dôri.

• Koromonotana-dôri (衣棚通, lit. "clothes shelf street") was one of the new streets built in 1590; a number of shops specializing in producing monks' robes existed in the area, giving the street its name.

• Muromachi-dôri (室町通) was known as Muromachi-kôji during the Heian period. It became the site of the palace/headquarters of the Ashikaga shogunate, thus giving the Muromachi period its name. The street was a major merchant street during that period, and was the first street to be restored after the devastation of the wars of the Ônin and Bunmei periods.

• Ryôgaemachi-dôri (両替町通, lit. "money-changers' town street") was among the new streets built in 1590. The mint (ginza) and exchange office (ryôgae-ya) were located on this road, along with other financial organizations, and continued to be a major financial district into the Edo period. During the Genroku period, the street lent its name to the "Ryôgaemachi lifestyle."

• Karasuma-dôri (烏丸通) is one of the major north-south avenues in the city. It runs along the west side of the Kyoto Imperial Palace complex, and the east side of Higashi Honganji, cutting through Kyoto Station at Hachijô-dôri. The Karasuma Line, originally a street-level streetcar line, and now the chief north-south subway line in the city, runs along Karasuma-dôri.

During the Heian period, the street was known as Karasumaru-koji, and was the site of many aristocratic mansions, as well as commoners' homes.

References

• Plaques on-site, at the intersections of each street with Oike-dôri.