Imperial City: Kyoto’s Millennium as Japan’s Capital

A float is pulled along a crowded street during the 2018 Gion Festival. The event is arguably Japan’s most famous festival, and a symbol of summer in Kyoto. (© Shimogyō Ward, Kyoto/Jiji)

A stone wall from the inner compound of Jurakudai, discovered in Kyoto in 2012. (© Jiji)

The Phoenix Hall at Byōdōin in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, is a classic example of a hall dedicated to Amida. Photo taken in 2006. (© Jiji)

The golden pavilion at Kinkakuji in Kyoto. Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu bought the site as a villa from the Saionji clan and ordered that it should be converted into a temple after his death. Photo taken in 2014. (© Jiji)

Ginkakuji in Kyoto became a temple after the death of Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Photo taken in 1998. (© Jiji)