Kyoto — Capital of the Muromachi Shogunate

Timeline

1. 794Heian-kyō · Kinki regionEmperor Kanmu moved the capital from Nagaoka-kyō to Heian-kyō (present-day Kyoto), planning its streets on a grid modeled on the Tang capital Chang'an; it thereafter remained Japan's political and cultural center for over a thousand years.
2. 1336–1338Muromachi, Kyoto · JapanAfter defeating the forces of Emperor Go-Daigo, Ashikaga Takauji controlled Kyoto in 1336, was granted the title of sei-i taishōgun in 1338, and established the Muromachi shogunate. Kyoto became a dual political core where the warrior government and the court coexisted; the shogunate's residence (Hana Gosho) stood on Muromachi-dōri, giving the city its name 'Muromachi shogunate'.
3. 1477–1510Kyoto · Kinki regionThe Ōnin War (1467–1477) reduced much of Kyoto to ashes; afterwards courtiers and temples gradually returned, a reconstruction movement led by townspeople (city residents) arose, commercial culture centered on za (guilds) revived amid the ruins, and Kamigyō (かみぎょう) and Shimogyō (しもぎょう) were rebuilt separately.
4. 1511–1520Kyoto · Kinki regionAshikaga Yoshitada (the tenth shogun, restored 1508–1521) nominally ruled from Kyoto, while real power fell to shikken Hosokawa Takakuni. Warring States daimyō across the land still flew the shogunate's banner to gain legitimacy; the coexistence of the imperial court and the shogunate in Kyoto maintained its status as nominal political center. Meanwhile, renga, noh, ikebana, and other arts shared by court and warrior elites remained active in Kyoto.