is a district in

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 ...

spanning from Kamigyō ward to Kita ward. Though it is well-known as a district, there is no administractive area called "Nishijin".(ja
What is Nishijin?
/ref> Nishijin is notable for its textile production, and is the birthplace of , a high-quality, well-known

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...

fabric, woven with colourful silk yarn and gilt or silver paper strips.

History

In Kyoto, the textile production industry has existed since the 5th century, and it is said that weaving craftsmen gathered in Kuromon Kamichōja-machi (located around the southernmost portion of the modern Nishijin district) in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

. (ja
Origin of Nishijin
Nishijin Website In the latter half of the Heian period, the textiles called and were produced, and unique, thick and heavy textiles were used for the decoratios of temples and shrines. The name ''Nishijin'' derives from

Yamana Sōzen was originally before becoming a monk. Due to his red complexion, he was sometimes known as ''Aka-nyūdō'', "the Red Monk". He was one of the ''daimyōs'' who fought against Hosokawa Katsumoto during the Ōnin War in Heian-kyō. Biography Yam ...

, a who fought in the

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. ''Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era during which the war started; the war ended during the Bunmei ...

(1467–1477); literally meaning "Western camp", others set up a camp in what would become Nishijin, located west from Horikawa. After the Ōnin War, weaving craftsmen who had been scattered throughout the country returned to Kyoto and resumed their activities. At that time, the area became known as Nishijin. There is a historic site of Nishijin between Imadegawa-Ōmiya and Imadegawa-Horikawa. The Imamiya festival of the

Imamiya Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It was originally established for patrons to pray for safety from an epidemic, though it has evolved into a shrine where patrons can pray for general good health. The shrine complex is embedded ...

is known as the festival of Nishijin. In 2008, Nishijin woven products totalled roughly ¥81.8 billion, with 465 vendors. Weaving machines used in production totalled 4,783 (3,600 power loom, 1,200 hand looms). Around 30,000 people were directly or indirectly engaged in the Nishijin weaving industry.

Geographic location

According to the , compiled in around 1717, Nishijin was constituted of the area covered by the Horikawa street, Shichihon-matsu street, Kuramaguchi street, and Ichijō street (or Nakadachiuri street).Honda (2012), p.5

Notes

References

Bibliography

* (Takahashi, 1983) * (Honda, 2009) * (Honda, 2012)

External links

* (ja
Nishijin Gakku
* (ja
Nishijin website

* http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/index.html Geography of Kyoto {{Kyoto-geo-stub