Site of a Kyoto Exposition Site
When the capital relocated to Tokyo, the people of Kyoto were apprehensive about the possible decline of their city’s fortunes. In order to showcase the traditional industrial products of the city, it was decided to hold Japan’s first exposition at Nishi Honganji Temple in 1871.
In the years that followed, eight further expositions were held to support Kyoto’s industries, including one in the Sento Palace. In 1880, the city established the predecessor to Kyoto City University of Arts on the eastern hills to provide training in the industrial, as well as traditional, arts. The artists trained here were encouraged to maintain Kyoto’s reputation as the country’s leading center for artistic development and achievement. In 1914, a permanent exhibition hall, called the Kyoto Municipal Kangyokan, was constructed near Heian Shrine in the Okazaki area to serve as a venue for future exhibitions. Renamed Kyoto Miyako Messe, the current hall hosts a diverse range of artistic and cultural events.