Street in Kyoto, Japan
Teramachi Street
(
寺町通 てらまちどおり
,
teramachid?ri
)
is a historical street in
Kyoto
,
Japan
, running north?south from Kuramaguchi Street to
Goj? Street
, for about 4.6 km.
[1]
History
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]
Present day Teramachi Street corresponds to the Higashi Ky?goku ?ji of the
Heian-ky?
.
[1]
At the time the Street was about 32 meters wide but later it was destroyed due to the
?nin War
.
[2]
In the year 1590 the street was reconstructed by
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, who ordered a large number of Buddhist temples to be moved to the site. According to records, there were approximately 80 temples in the area, from different sects.
[2]
The street's name literally means "Temple Town", similar to English "
Templeton
", and reflects the large number of temples moved there during
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
's remodeling of Kyoto in the 16th century.
It is said that by lining up the temples,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
actually wanted to protect the city from attacks coming from the east, as invaders would run into the sacred buildings first, making it hard for them to proceed with their plans and destroy the city.
[3]
During the
Edo period
, stores selling books, Buddhist rosaries, writing brushes and medicines began to flourish in the area; as well as the shops of paper and
shamisen
craftsmen, which eventually gave shape to the street of today.
[2]
From 1895 to 1926, there was a
tram
running between Marutamachi Street and Nij? Street.
[4]
Present Day
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]
Nowadays the street runs on the east side of the
Kyoto Imperial Palace
, between
Kawaramachi Street
(east side) and Gokomachi Street (west side).
[1]
The section extending from Marutamachi Street to
Nij? Street
is known as Teramachikai and is lined with antique stores and galleries. The section from
Oike Street
to
Sanj? Street
is a shopping arcade called Teramachi Sh?tengai.
[1]
The area extending from
Sanj? Street
to
Shij? Street
is also an arcade containing an assortment of shops and services, both traditional and modern, which receives the name of Teramachi Ky?goku Sh?tengai (Compasso Teramachi).
[1]
The section between
Oike Street
and
Shij? Street
is closed to vehicular traffic during the day and along with the shopping streets
Kawaramachi
and
Shinky?goku
forms a pedestrian passage,
[1]
which is currently a popular shopping spot in the city among young people and tourists as well.
[5]
[3]
The section between
Shij? Street
and Takatsuji Street has many electronic shops, receiving the name of "Teramachi Denkigai".
[1]
Relevant Landmarks Along the Street
[1]
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References
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External links
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35°0′23″N
135°46′0.8″E
/
35.00639°N 135.766889°E
/
35.00639; 135.766889