Abstract
In January 1883, the courtier, Iwakura Tomomi, argued that “Heiankyō is the only city since the time of Emperor Jinmu's eastern expedition where one can still see vestiges of imperial rule.” 1 Indeed, if we accept that the origin of Japan's cities is to be found in ancient capitals and domain castle towns in the Edo period, then only Heiankyō – or Kyoto as it is now known – is distinct. Only Kyoto survived the transformations of the middle ages and of the Edo period to emerge and flourish as a modern city. 2 The Meiji period mantra was that Kyoto refused to decay as the city of Nara had. Kyoto, after all, was a city layered like no other: ancient capital, castle town and modern city. It was home to the Jurakudai Palace built in 1587 by the military overlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and to Nijō Castle built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603. What was the secret to its perpetual prospering? The explanation can only be that it remained throughout its history as the “seat” of the emperor.