is one of the eleven wards in the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, in Kyoto Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

History

It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku. During the years 1931 to 1976 it also covered the area of present-day Yamashina-ku, which was an independent

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

until its merger into the city in 1931. The name literally means "Eastern Mountain District". Due to the restrictions against urban development, the population inside the ward is continually decreasing. Higashiyama-ku has the lowest population of all the wards in Kyoto, and a disproportionate number of elderly people.

Geography

Interposed between the

Kamo River The is located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The riverbanks are popular walking spots for residents and tourists. In summer, restaurants open balconies looking out to the river. There are walkways running alongside the river, and some stepping ...

and the Higashiyama mountain range, Higashiyama-ku is roughly bounded by the

Sanjō street Sanjō Street（三条通さんじょうどおり ''sanjō dōri''）is a major street that crosses the center of the city of Kyoto from east to west, running from Shinomiya in the Yamashina-ku ward (east) to the vicinity of the Tenryū-ji in Ar ...

in the north, and the Jūjō street in the south. Historically, this area lay outside the official boundaries of the city of Kyoto. The western part consists mainly of residential areas, whereas the eastern part is covered by forests. In the north, between the Kamo River and Higashi-oji street, there is a commercial district, and in the south there is a semi-industrial zone.

Demographics

Sights

Many of the locations central to the development of 15th-century Japanese culture known as

Higashiyama Bunka The Higashiyama culture (東山文化 ''Higashiyama bunka'') is a segment of Japanese culture that includes innovations in architecture, the visual arts and theatre during the late Muromachi period. It originated and was promoted in the 15th c ...

are found here or in Sakyō-ku. Both the entertainment district of

Gion is a district of Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku period, in front of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine). The district was built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the shrine. ...

in front of

Yasaka Shrine Kanpei-taisha , once called , is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan. Situated at the east end of Shijō-dōri (Fourth Avenue), the shrine includes several buildings, including gates, a main hall and a stage. The Yasaka shrine is ...

, and the area around the stone-paved roads

Ninenzaka Ninenzaka, or Ninen-zaka, is an ancient 150m stone-paved pedestrian road and tourist attraction in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Loca ...

and Sannenzaka that lead up to the World Heritage Kiyomizu Temple, enjoy protected status to preserve the traditional style buildings. Other temples and shrines in the ward include

Tōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama-ku in Kyoto, Japan. Tōfuku-ji takes its name from two temples in Nara, Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji.Japan ReferenceTōfuku-ji/ref> It is one of the Kyoto ''Gozan'' or "five great Zen temples of Kyoto". Its ...

Kennin-ji is a historic Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of its associated branch of Rinzai Buddhism. It is considered to be one of the so-called Kyoto ''Gozan'' or "five most important Zen temples of Kyoto". History Kennin-ji was ...

Kōdai-ji __NOTOC__ , formally identified as , is a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan—the largest subtemple of the Kennin-ji branch. History It was established in 1606 by the nun Kōdai- ...

, and

Sanjūsangen-dō is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori for the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. It is officially known as and belongs to the Myōhō-in templ ...

. The

Kyoto National Museum The is one of the major art museums in Japan. Located in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, the museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art. History The Kyoto National Museum, then the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was proposed, along with the Impe ...

is also located inside Higashiyama-ku, as well as the

Namikawa Cloisonne Museum Namikawa is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese voice actor * Namikawa Sōsuke (1847–1910), Japanese cloisonné artist * Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845–1927), Japanese cloisonné artist ...

.Namikawa Cloisonné Museum of Kyoto
/ref>

Education

Kyoto Women's University is a private women's college in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms ...

* *

Kacho College is a private women's junior college in Kyoto, Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihansh ...

Kyoto International Junior and Senior High School Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

(Educational Foundation Kyoto International School) is in the ward.

Gallery

File:Yasaka-dori early morning with street lanterns and the Tower of Yasaka (Hokan-ji Temple), Kyoto, Japan.jpg, View of the five-story pagoda at

Hōgan-ji Temple The , also known as Tower of Yasaka and Yasaka-no-to, is a Buddhist pagoda located in Kyoto, Japan. The 5-story tall pagoda is the last remaining structure of a 6th-century temple complex known as Hōkan-ji Temple. The pagoda is a popular tourist ...

from Yasakakamimachi File:Wooden gate with open double door leading to the garden of Isshinin Buddhist temple in the compounds of Chion-in Kyoto Japan.jpg, The garden of ''Isshinin'' temple in

Chion-in in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) founded by Hōnen (1133–1212), who proclaimed that sentient beings are reborn in Amida Buddha's Western Paradise (Pure Land) by reciting the '' nembutsu'', ...

, Kyoto File:Pedestrian road with pavements and paper umbrellas, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan, early morning.jpg, Ninenzaka Street, 3 Chome, Kyoto in the early morning File:Gion kyoto japan.JPG, Street in the

district,

File:Kyoto-027 hg.jpg, Kiyomizu-zaka slope, Kyoto near Kiyomizu Temple, 1965 File:Keihan 8000 series at Tofukuji Station 2019-11-18 (50099991698).jpg, Train at the Tōfukuji station

References

External links

* * Wards of Kyoto {{Kyoto-geo-stub