東山ヨリ市中遠景

About this photo

This photo looks far out over the city of Kyoto from Higashiyama, the Eastern Hills. The title, "Higashiyama yori Shichu Enkei," means "distant view of the city from Higashiyama." It appears in Kyoto Meishocho (Album of Famous Places in Kyoto), published by the Kyoto City Council in 1907 (Meiji 40).

The city of Kyoto was created in 1889. At first, under a special rule, the governor of Kyoto Prefecture also served as mayor, and the city did not have its own mayor until 1898. City affairs were discussed and decided by the City Council (Kyoto-shi Sanjikai), made up of the mayor, the deputy mayor, and council members. The Lake Biwa Canal project and the celebration of the 1,100th anniversary of the capital's move to Heian-kyo were also discussed there. This album is a guidebook published by that Kyoto City Council.

In 1908, the year after the album came out, work began on the Second Lake Biwa Canal. It was the start of the "Three Great Projects": digging a second canal, building a water supply, and widening roads to run city streetcars. The city streetcars began running in 1912, and Kyoto went on to change greatly.

Glossary