is the name given to the central avenue leading to the Imperial Palace from the south in Japanese capitals. Traditionally the Imperial palace complex faces south, whilst Suzaku Avenue leads directly away from the main gate. Cities were often based on a traditional Chinese grid pattern. Suzaku Avenue was typically the central road within the city grid, and as a result, the widest. Fujiwara-kyō, Heijō-kyō, and Heian-kyō had their own Suzaku Avenue. The word " Suzaku" refers to the Guardian God of the South, who was said to appear in the form of a bird.

Heian-kyō

In Heian-kyō, present-day

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 a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, the

Rajōmon , also called , was the gate built at the southern end of the monumental Suzaku Avenue in the ancient Japanese cities of Heijō-kyō (Nara) and Heian-kyō (Kyoto), in accordance with the Chinese grid-patterned city layout. At the other far nor ...

(Rajōmon, Raseimon) was at the southern end of Suzaku Avenue, flanked on the east by the temple of

Tō-ji , also known as is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796, it was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. As such it has a long history, h ...

, and on the west by the temple of

Sai-ji or the ''West Temple'' was one of the two large Buddhist temples established in Kyoto, Japan. History Sai-ji was founded in the early Heian period.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869,'' p. 111. The templ ...

, whilst at the northern end there was the main gate Suzakumon of

Heian Palace The was the original imperial palace of (present-day Kyoto), the capital of Japan, from 794 to 1227. The palace, which served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre for most of the Heian period (from 794 to 1185), was located ...

. Of these, only Tō-ji remains. Over time Suzaku Avenue stopped being the central street, due to the gradual abandonment of the west of the city. Eventually the road served as the western boundary of the town, until the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

. Presently it is still a major street, called , and once served as a route for the city's

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

line.

Fujiwara-kyō

Heijō-kyō

Streets in Kyoto Historic Sites of Japan {{Japan-struct-stub