runs in the center of

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 ...

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 ...

from east to west through the commercial center of the city. Shijō literally means ''Fourth Avenue'' of

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō 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, mov ...

, the ancient capital.

History

The section between Shinkyōgoku street and the vicinity of the east side of the Tenjingawa river corresponds to the Shijō Ōji Avenue（四条大路）of the

. After the road was widened in 1911, it developed as an important traffic artery. The

Shijō school The , also known as the ''Maruyama–Shijō'' school, was a Japanese school of painting. History It was an offshoot school of the Maruyama school of Japanese painting founded by Maruyama Ōkyo, and his former student Matsumura Goshun in the ...

of art derives its name from this street, since many artists were located there.

Along the street

The eastern end of the street is

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 western end is

Matsunoo Shrine , formerly , is a Shinto shrine located at the far western end of Shijō Street, approximately 1.3 kilometers south of the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. It is home to a spring at the base of the mountain, Arashiyama, that is believed to be blesse ...

. The street is particularly busy with pedestrians and traffic from the east end to

Karasuma Street is a major south-north street in central Kyoto, Japan. It is part of Japan National Route 24, National Route 24 and Japan National Route 367, National Route 367. The Karasuma Line subway runs under the street. References

Streets in Kyo ...

. The east end passes through the courtesan's 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. ...

, with the historic street of Hanami Lane branching off to the south, with the famous

Ichiriki Chaya The , formerly , is an historic ("tea house") in Kyoto, Japan. It is located at the southeast corner of Shijō Street and Hanami Lane, its entrance right at the heart of the Gion Kobu district. It is considered an exclusive and high-end establ ...

at the corner. It then crosses 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 ...

at Shijō Bridge, and from there to

Streets in Kyo ...

(Shijō Karasuma) the sidewalk is covered (except at major streets) and features several department stores, such as

Daimaru is a Japanese department store chain, principally located in the Kansai region of Japan. The chain is operated by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, a subsidiary of J. Front Retailing. At one time Daimaru was an independent company, , hea ...

and

Marui is a Japanese multinational retail company which operates a chain of department stores in Tokyo as well in other major Japanese cities. They are best known for their women's fashion and accessories, which are aimed at the 25–35 age range. ...

. The center of this area is the intersection with

Kawaramachi Street runs parallel to the west bank of the Kamo River on the eastern side of Kyoto, Japan. Its intersection with Shijō Street is called Shijō Kawaramachi and is a leading shopping district of the city. Both Shijō and Kawaramachi Street are ...

( Shijō Kawaramachi), a very busy shopping area. The city of Kyoto has enforced a

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor work ...

on this street, on the busy section from Yasaka Shrine to Karasuma street, and in the surrounding districts. During the

Gion Matsuri The is one of the largest and most famous festivals in Japan, taking place annually during the month of July in Kyoto. Many events take place in central Kyoto and at the Yasaka Shrine, the festival's patron shrine, located in Kyoto's famous Gion ...

in the month of July, the Naginata-hoko, the Kanko-boko, Tsuki-hoko, Kakkyo-yama and Shijō-Kasa-Boko are built on the street. The street is also part of the route of the Yamaboko Junkō parade.

Relevant landmarks

* Ichiriki-tei * Chūgen-ji Temple *

Minami-za is the primary kabuki theatre in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1610 as . The current building, with a 1,086 seat capacity, was built in 1929. History The Minami-za is one of the earliest of the seven officially-licensed kabuki theatres built i ...

Theater * Shijō Bridge *

* Shinkyōgoku Street *

Umenomiya Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Ukyō-ku in Kyoto, Japan. History The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to ...

* Matsuo Bridge *

Katsura River The is a continuation of two other rivers, the Hozu River, a small, speedy river which begins in the mountains near Kameoka and then slithers through the mountains separating Kameoka and Kyoto; and the Ōi River (大堰川 ''Ōi-gawa''), which ...

Matsunoo-taisha , formerly , is a Shinto shrine located at the far western end of Shijō Street, approximately 1.3 kilometers south of the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. It is home to a spring at the base of the mountain, Arashiyama, that is believed to be blesse ...

Public transport

The street is one of trunk routes of the

city bus 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 ...

. Beneath the street are the tracks of the

Hankyu Kyoto Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the private railway operator Hankyu Railway. It connects Osaka-umeda Station in Osaka and Kyoto-kawaramachi Station in Kyoto. Definition The Kyoto Main Line is often called the for short, and in a br ...

railway with the stations at Kawaramachi Street ( Kawaramachi Station), Karasuma Street (

Karasuma Station is a station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line. Layout The station has an island platform serving two tracks. Shijō Station on the Karasuma Line The is one of the two lines of the Kyoto Municipal Subway operated by Kyoto Municipal Transportation ...

), Ōmiya Street ( Ōmiya Station) and Nishiōji Street ( Saiin Station). The

Keihan Main Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by Keihan Electric Railway. The line runs between Sanjō Station in Kyoto and Yodoyabashi Station in Osaka. There are through services to the Keihan Ōtō Line and the Keihan Nakanoshima Line. Trains from ...

( Gion-Shijō Station), the Karasuma Line subway (

Shijō Station is a train station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line in Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The station is located beneath Karasuma Street, at the intersection with Shijō Street. The underground concourse of Shijō Station is connected wi ...

), the Keifuku Arashiyama Main Line (Shijo-Omiya Station and Sai Station), the

Sanin Main Line The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...

(no nearby station) and the

Hankyu Arashiyama Line The is a railway line in Kyoto, Japan, operated by private railway operator Hankyu Railway. It connects Katsura and Arashiyama on the west side of the city, linking the area along the line to the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line that extends east to cent ...

(

Matsuo-taisha Station on the Hankyu Arashiyama Line is located a short walk from both the Katsura River and Matsunoo Shrine in Kyoto. During the late fall, the Momiji trees that line the station provide a spectacular display of red, orange, and yellow leaves. The stat ...

) are the railways crossing the street. The Shijō Line of Kyoto City Tram operated on the street (between Gion and Shijō Ōmiya) from 1912 to 1972. The extension of the tram westward from Shijō Ōmiya was built as a

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

line to Nishiōji Shijō in 1932, to Umezu in 1958 (replacing existing Umezu Line tram) and to Matsuobashi in 1962. The trolleybus was discontinued in 1969.

References

External links

(Gion intersection, Higashioji Shijō, eastern end) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shijo Street Streets in Kyoto Tourist attractions in Kyoto Prefecture