Sakyō-ku, Kyoto

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This ukiyo-e by Hiroshige shows Yase, a village now in Sakyō-ku, during the Edo period.

Sakyō (左京区, Sakyō-ku^?) is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Located in the center of the present-day city of Kyoto, it previously occupied the northern region of the ancient capital of Kyoto. The Kamo River flows on the western border of this ward. To the east lies the Daimonji mountain (大文字山）which plays a major role in the local celebration of the Bon Festival.

Photos of the fires lit on the mountainside during this festival can be found here.

There is a train called Eizan Electric Railway Co.,Ltd. (叡山電鉄株式会社, Eizan Dentetsu Kabushiki-gaisha^?). Most local people think that this train costs more than any other in Japan^{[citation needed]}. Eizan operates two train lines, one from Demachiyanagi to Kurama and the other one from Demachiyanagi to Yase/Hieizanguchi, at the foot of Mt. Hiei. Some of these trains are called Kirara. Kyoto International Conference Hall (国立京都国際会舘, Kokuritsu Kyōto Kokusai Kaikan^?) is also located in Sakyō-ku, at Takara-ga-ike (宝ヶ池, Takara-ga-ike^?) in the north. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted here on November 27, 2004 [1]. There are some special restaurantes in the northern parts of Sakyō-ku. For example in Kibune there is a restaurant where people can eat food and feel a special atmosphere because of a river flowing very close to the restaurant, only about one to three metres away. Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社, Shimogamo Jinja^?) is located in the south of Sakyō-ku. This is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto. Kamigamo Shrine (上賀茂神社, Kamigamo Jinja^?) is located in Kita-ku, and these two temples are historically related to each other.