Muromachi Street (室町通 Muromachi-dōri) is a north-south street in Kyoto, Japan. It was originally a path called Muromachi kōji (室町小路) of the ancient capital of Heian-kyō, which is now Kyoto. It lies to the west of Karasuma Street (烏丸通) where the subway Karasuma Line runs. It extends from Kitayama Street (北山通) running through Kita-ku in the north to Kuzebashi Street (久世橋通) running through Minami-ku in the south. Higashi Hongan-ji Temple and Kyoto Station block this street.
In 1378, the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established a luxurious palace near the Muromachi-dori Imadegawa (室町通今出川) intersection. The palace, known as Muromachi-dono (室町殿 Muromachi Palace) or Hana no Gosho (花の御所 Flower Palace), was the political and cultural center of the country. This is the etymology of the Muromachi shogunate, which enjoyed prosperity until the Onin War from 1467 to 1477. After the war, Kyoto was in ruins and disintegrated into two areas, Kamigyō and Shimogyō, and Muromachi Street was the only road connecting them. This period is called the Muromachi period, named after the shogunate.
In the Edo period, Muromachi saw growth of kimono wholesalers. Some of them are centuries-old and still doing business today.
In July, merchant districts, centered around the Shjiō Muromachi (四条室町) intersection in Shimogyō, build parade floats for the Gion Matsuri festival, called yamaboko (山鉾).