Particular Love for Kyoto

Time and again the city of Kyoto has worked its mysterious power on conquerors and casual visitors alike. It makes them want to stay. Ask any member of the large international population who came here out of curiosity and found themselves settling to devote years of study to Zen, or calligraphy, or any one of a number of other traditional arts. The beauty and refinement of the ancient capital transforms everyone who sets foot in it. The imperial court and aristocrats who ruled ancient Japan set the tone for Kyoto culture from 794, when the capital, Heian-kyo, was established here. The Heian Period was Japan's classical age, a time when women wore kimonos in up to 13 layers and a talent for extemporaneous verse was the most important mark of a gentleman.

In the mid-12th century, a provincial samurai clan, the Heike, seized power in the capital. But not long after the Heike seized Kyoto, Kyoto seems to have seized the Heike. The story goes that Heike warriors took to playing the flute and dressing in the manner of the courtiers in an effort to equal their extremely refined lifestyle.

Minamoto Yoritomo, leader of the rival clan that defeated the Heike, saw the danger of temptation in Kyoto and steered clear. The new shogunate was established in Kamakura. But history later brought the seat of power back to Kyoto and the tragic pattern was repeated. The Ashikaga shoguns resided in Kyoto, and each succeeding generation showed more fondness for tea parties and less for government. The last lavish builder in Kyoto was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who ruled Japan from his castle in Osaka, but always had a particular love for Kyoto. After a century of chaos, General Hideyoshi revived the capital by building a second castle and sponsoring the construction of temples and palaces.

Following Hideyoshi's demise, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the government to Edo (present day Tokyo in the Kanto area). Freed of the onus of political authority Kyoto flourished again. The traditions in pottery, silk-weaving and the pictorial arts for which Kyoto is world-renowned today took their present form during this period.

The city is laid out on a large grid in an essentially flat basin bordered by hills in the north, east and west. The grid plan was borrowed from China 1,200 years ago. With 1,650 Buddhist temples (at last count), 400 Shinto shrines, and some of the most beautiful gardens in the world, Kyoto is certainly the jewel in Kansai's crown. The majority of the temples and shrines are located in the rich and pastoral perimeter. Central Kyoto, on the other hand, is a beehive of mercantile activity, with the residences of two million inhabitants discreetly tucked away behind the main streets. Wander into a side street and there's no telling what you may find such as a shop where you can see delicate Kyoningyo dolls being made by the hands of a team of master's apprentices, a neighborhood festival with local crowds, good-luck amulets and even cotton candy, or a quiet and immaculate old Kyoto home, perfection itself glimpsed through a fine wooden lattice.
Particular Love for Kyoto