The meaning of ukyō (右京) is "on the Emperor's right." When residing in the Kyoto Imperial Palace the emperor would sit facing south,[1] thus the western direction would be to his right. Similarly, there is a ward to the east called Sakyō-ku (左京区), meaning "the ward on the Emperor's left." In old times, ukyō was referring to the western part of the capital. The area of ancient Ukyō slightly overlaps the area of present Ukyō-ku.
The ward was established in 1931 when nine villages merged to form it.
On April 1, 2005, the ward expanded its territory to the area of former town of Keihoku when the town merged into the city of Kyoto. This increased the ward's territory from 74.27 square kilometres (28.68 sq mi) to 291.95 square kilometres (112.72 sq mi), and made it the largest ward in the city by area.
As of October 1, 2020, the ward has an estimated population of 202,047, with 97,849 households and a density of 692 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,790/sq mi).
Uzumasa, the location of Kōryū-ji, a temple founded before Kyoto became the Imperial capital. The neighborhood is also the home of the Toei Uzumasa Eigamura studios and the center of Japan's television and film industries.
Economy
Rohm, an electronic parts manufacturer,[2] and Nissin Electric, a global electrical equipment company,[3] are headquartered in the ward.
