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 Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

from east to west, running from Shinomiya in the Yamashina-ku ward (east) to the vicinity of the

Tenryū-ji , formally known as , is the head temple of the Tenryū-ji branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, located in Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Bud ...

in Arashiyama (west).

History

The street corresponds to the Sanjō Ōji street of the

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, mo ...

, being at that time 30 meters wide. During the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

the Sanjō Bridge was constructed in order to facilitate the crossing of military horses. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

the Sanjō Bridge became the final point of the

53 stations of the Tōkaidō The are the rest areas along the Tōkaidō (road), Tōkaidō, which was a coastal route that ran from Nihonbashi in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Sanjō Ōhashi in Kyoto.. There were originally 53 government shukuba, post stations along the T� ...

, being separated from Edo by a distance of 490 km. After the

Meiji period The was 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 colonizatio ...

several western style buildings were constructed along the street, many remaining to this day.

Present Day

Nowadays the street is a popular destination for both locals and visitors, as it hosts a large number of stores, shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as many historical buildings. It is also part of the route of the Kankō-sai procession part of 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 Gio ...

, held the 24th of July every year.

Relevant landmarks along the street

Lake Biwa Canal * Keage Incline *

Nanzen-ji , or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. The precinct ...

temple * Sanjo-ohashi Bridge *

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 s ...

* St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Kyoto * Shikyōgoku Street * Teramachi Street *Art Complex Building (1928), currently GEAR (theatre show) venue * Niwaka Building by Ando Tadao * The

Museum of Kyoto The is a museum of the history and culture of Kyoto. History The Heian Museum of Ancient History, the former museum of the Museum of Kyoto was established in 1967. It was a private museum under the academic organization, "Kodaigaku Kyōkai" ( ...

* Building of the former Kyoto office of the

Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It is headquartered in Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The said bank is a corporate entity ...

(1906) * Nakagyō-ku ward post office (1902) *Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (NTT) Kyoto Branch * Building of the Shinpukan (1926) * Sanjō shopping street (三条商店街) * Shimadzu Corp. headquarters * Toei Kyoto Studio Park *

Arashiyama is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Katsura River, Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a Cultural Properties of Japan, nationally designated Monument ...

Railway Stations

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

- *

Kyoto City Subway The , also known as the Kyoto City Subway, is the rapid transit network in the city of Kyoto, Japan. Operated by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau, it has two lines. Lines The Kyoto Municipal Subway is made up of two lines: the long, ...

Tozai Line - Yamashina, , , , , * Keihan Railway Keishin Line - , , Misasagi * Keihan Railway

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 ...

, Oto Line - * Randen Tram Line - , , , , ,

External links

Toei Kyoto Studio Park

The Museum of Kyoto

GEAR

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanjo Street Streets in Kyoto