Kyoto
Kyoto, officially Kyoto City , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. As of 2020, the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most populous city in Japan. More than half (56.8%) of Kyoto Prefecture's population resides in the city. The city is the cultural anchor of the substantially larger Greater Kyoto, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people. It is also part of the even larger Keihanshin metropolitan area, along with Osaka and Kobe.
Some of the key events about Kyoto
- 794The imperial capital was moved from Nara to Kyoto, establishing it as Japan's seat of power
- 794The capital of Japan was moved from Nara to Kyoto, marking the beginning of the Heian period
- 1185The Taira clan was defeated in the Genpei War, ending their rule over Kyoto
- 1397The iconic Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) was built as a retirement villa
- 1467The Ōnin War began, leading to widespread destruction in Kyoto and marking the start of the Sengoku period
- 1482The Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) was constructed as a cultural center
- 1582Oda Nobunaga's forces burned down many temples and killed thousands in Kyoto during his campaign to unify Japan
- 1788The Great Tenmei Fire destroyed much of Kyoto, including the Imperial Palace
- 1864The Hamaguri Gate Incident resulted in a large fire that burned down significant portions of Kyoto
- 1868The Meiji Restoration began, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the return of imperial rule
- 1868The Emperor moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, effectively ending Kyoto's role as the Imperial capital
- 1869Japan's first elementary school system was established in Kyoto
- 1895The Heian Shrine was built to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto
- 1897The Kyoto Imperial Palace was opened to the public for the first time
- 1926A major flood caused by heavy rains devastated large parts of Kyoto
- 1934A severe typhoon struck Kyoto, causing widespread damage and loss of life
- 1950A fire destroyed Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion), one of Kyoto's most famous landmarks
- 1955The Kyoto Tower, the city's tallest structure, was completed
- 1994The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site
- 2011The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, entered into force
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