Debbie Hartley, age 15, of Nashua, N.H., for her question:
WHEN WAS KYOTU IN JAPAN FOUNDED?
Kyoto in Japan is one of the world's special cities. It is the center of ancient Japanese culture and for almost 11 centuries, it was the imperial capital of Japan. Kyoto was founded in the Eighth Century.
In the year 794, Kyoto became the residence of the emperor and the capital of Japan. At first the city was known by the poetic name Heian Kyo, which means "the capital of peace and tranquility." Soon, however, the people took a more simple name, calling it Kyoto, which means "capital city."
Kyoto is the fifth largest city in Japan, but it isn't a bit like most of the other large cities in the nation. There are no heavy industries in Kyoto. Instead, the city has kept its tradition of handicraft industries that make use of ancient arts and crafts.
Fine silk textiles, dolls, bronzes, porcelain ware and lacquerware are turned out by Kyoto's tine artisans today. They also do special , weaving and dyeing. Non artistic Kyoto industries today also include food processing, manufacture of electrical equipment, precision tools, cameras and chemicals.
Kyoto is a religious center and has many famous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. It is also a wonderful city for visiting tourists.
Kyoto has wide streets that are laid out in a rectangular pattern around the old temples and palaces. Because Kyoto was not engaged in the industries largely important to the Japanese war effort, it was the only major Japanese city to escape bombing during World War II.
Kyoto is in western Honshu, 25 miles inland from Osaka. Eight miles south of the city, on the Yodo River, is the river port of Yodo, which is Kyoto's port.
Kyoto is also an important Japanese railway center, with lines leaving the city and going out in all directions.
Electric power for Kyoto and for much of the outlying area is now generated at nearby Lake Biwa.
From the 12th Century until the middle of the 19th Century, Kyoto was the city where the imperial court was maintained. That court, however, had very little power. During these centuries the ruling power of Japan was in the hands of military dictators known as shoguns.
In the 16th Century the shogun headquarters was established at Edo, which is now called Tokyo.
In 1867 Emperor Meiji overthrew the shoguns and once again the emperor controlled Japan. During the centuries of rule by the shoguns, Tokyo had taken on the functions of the true capital city. So in 1868 Meiji decided to transfer his official residence to Tokyo.
In Japanese, Tokyo means "eastern capital." Kyoto was given the official name of Saiky, which means "western capital." However, the people still popularly call the city Kyoto.