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Kyoto in autumn leaf colour
November is the time of year when beautiful autumn leaves can be seen across Japan.
Of these, the autumn colours in Kyoto contrast beautifully with the traditional Japanese architecture and gardens, making it an enjoyable place to stroll in autumn.
The most representative autumn leaf viewing spots in Kyoto include Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Arashiyama mentioned in ‘Kaido yuku Saga Stroll (Journey to Saga)’, Tofuku-ji Temple and Nanzen-ji Temple mentioned in ‘Kaido yuku Kyoto no Meidera to Daitoku-ji Stroll – Dada, Zen and Ikkyu’ and ‘Kaido yuku – Rakuhoku Shodo to Stasta Monk, Yamabushi and Monk Soldiers’. Kibune Shrine near Mt Kurama.
These are lit up at night and offer beautiful scenery.
It can be said that these landscapes were fostered over a period of more than 1,000 years since Emperor Kanmu created Heian-kyo in 794.
History of the Yamato Imperial Court and Kyoto
Kyoto became the capital created by the Yamato dynasty, which was also connected to the present-day emperors.
As described in ‘Kaido yuku – Takeuchi Kaido and Ancient Japan’, the Yamato Imperial Court started from Takachiho in Kyushu, crossed the Seto Inland Sea, passed through Osaka and entered Nara, and as described in ‘Kaido yuku – Katsuragi Michi’ and ‘Kaido yuku – Yamato Tsubozaka Michi’, initially (Asuka period) had a base in the south-east of the Nara basin.
This was followed by the conquest of local powers, as described in ‘Tokiwa-no-Soshagu Shrine, Osamu Tezuka and Yamatotakeru’, ‘Kaido yuku: Sunatetsu no Michi (Izumo)’ and ‘Kaido yuku: Inaba and Hoki no Michi’.
Furthermore, in the 6th century (the period of the Three Kingdoms ended and the Sui and Tang Dynasties began, as described in ‘Kaido yuku: The Road to Min, China’), the Taika Reform (645), which is also described in ‘Kaido yuku: The Road to Inaba and Hoki’, brought about a change of government from the previous council of the powerful clans such as the Soga and Otomo. The Taika Reform (645), which is described in ‘The Road of the Taika Reform’, brought about a centralised, emperor-centred political system and the formation of the capital, the place where the emperor presided.
The Taika Reformation was brought about by two young princes, Emperor Nakataio (Emperor Tenchi) and Emperor Omijin (Emperor Temmu). After the death of Emperor Tenchi, a power struggle took place among the remaining people, which was depicted from a science fiction perspective in Osamu Tezuka’s lifework, The Firebird – The Sun Arc. (Firebird 14, 15, 16)
The synopsis begins with the battle of the Hakuchon River in 663, as described in ‘Kaido yuku Han no Kuni Kiko’, where the defeated Baekje soldier Halima is captured by the Tang forces and given a wolf’s skin, and travels to Japan, where he meets the Gu people, persecuted by the rise of Buddhism, and decides to devote himself to their cause.
Harima, who has the face of a wolf, is plagued by nightmares and eventually realises that she shares a spirit with 21st century agent Bando Suguru, and that in 21st century Japan there is a conflict between the religious group Hikari, whose god is the firebird, and the Shadows, who have been driven underground, and this conflict also reflects the struggle between Buddhism and the native gods, The film has become one of the masterpieces of the masterpiece, with its interweaving of Shintoism and Buddhism, reincarnation, and time paradoxes of the past and the future.
These power struggles led to frequent changes in the capital, as shown below, until finally the surviving great-grandson of Emperor Tenchi, Emperor Kanmu (whose descendants became the Kanmu Heishi, as described in ‘Oi no Kobun to Kaido yuku – Akashi-Kaikyo/Awaji-michi’) created the capital, Heian-kyo (present-day Kyoto).
京都の春夏秋冬とプラスαより
The creation of the Heian-kyo capital was based on a planned and political agenda, and for more than a thousand years thereafter it flourished as the cultural and political centre of Japan and continued to play an important role in the country’s history.
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