Minamiza theatre, Kyoto, evening

Miyagawachō (宮川町) is one of the hanamachi (花街, “flower towns”) or geisha districts in Kyoto. A hanamachi (花街 is a Japanese Courtesan and Geisha district or are traditional female Japanese Entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. Miya-gawa means “Shrine River”, referring to the nickname of the Kamo River just south of Shijō. The Kamo River ( Japanese: 鴨川 or 賀茂川 Kamo-gawa) is a river in Kyoto, Japan. During the Gion Festival the mikoshi (portable shrine) of Yasaka Shrine used to be purified here in the waters of the river. The takes place annually in Kyoto and is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. A is a portable Shinto shrine. Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle of a divine Spirit in Japan at the time of a parade of deities once called Gion Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan.

Miyagawachō has three interconnected rings as its trademark, symbolizing the unity of the shrine/temples, the townspeople, and the teahouses.

What is now Miyagawachō was a place where entertainers gathered. Kabuki was performed in many small theaters on the banks of the Kamo River. is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate Make-up worn by some of its performers Some of the teahouses were even boats that operated in the river. As Kabuki was just then developing into a mass entertainment spectacle as known today, the area was very popular and Miyagawacho quickly grew into a full town of teahouses. The association with Kabuki has gone, but the Minami-za kabuki theatre of Kyoto still stands on its historical spot on the east bank of the Kamo River. is the oldest Kabuki theatre in Japan. It was founded in 1610 as Shijo Minami-za. Today, Miyagawachō has its own kaburenjo or theater where geisha dances are performed.

See also

• Hanamachi in Kyoto ("Gokagai")
  • Gion-Kōbu
  • Gion-Higashi
  • Kamishichiken
  • Pontochō

• Another in Kyoto
  • Shimabara