Yep, Kyoto was once considered the capital of Japan; lazy ass mfs didn't even bother coming up with a new name, they selected the next best sounding city
Yep, Kyoto was once considered the capital of Japan; lazy ass mfs didn't even bother coming up with a new name, they selected the next best sounding city
Before it became the capital of Japan, the name of the city was Edo.
Shorty, there is two kind of leader during middle-age Japan. The Emperor, descendant of the Goddess of the Sun, Ameterasu. And the Shōgun, the Great General responsible of the military power of the Empire.
During Edo period, the Tokugawa Shogunate, based in the city of Edo, was way more stronger than the Japanese Imperial Court, based in Kyōto.
When the Shogun decided to make Edo the capital, they decided to change the name of the city to Tōkyō in opposition to Kyōto.
Kyō(京 · キョウ) means capital.
To(都 · ト) means metropolis.
Literaly Capital-city.
Tō(東 · トウ) means East.
Kyō(京 · キョウ) means capital. Same Kanji that you can find in Kyōto.