Abstract

NIGLIO, Olimpia. Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan and the Chinese model of the ideal city. Arquitectura y Urbanismo [online]. 2014, vol.35, n.1, pp. 92-96. ISSN 1815-5898.

The city of Kyoto was founded in 794 when Emperor Kanmu decided to build a new capital of Japan and to leave the city of Nara. This paper traces the history of the foundation of Kyoto in relation to the normative principles of the Chinese city. For centuries, this urban model, with orthogonal axes, had constituted a major cultural reference for the construction of new cities in Japan. Today, the city of Kyoto preserves the old urban orthogonal structure and this contribution aims to propose a reflection on the influence of Chinese culture in Japan since 550 AD (Kofun period) and to consider the development of this culture over time and its current presence in urban form; especially religious architecture. The ideal model of the Chinese city, after 1200 years since the foundation of Kyoto, is preserved and constitutes a fundamental reference for the development of the contemporary city in strict relationship with the landscape.

Keywords : Kyoto; ideal Chinese model; urban configuration; religious architecture.

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