Chukyo

Chukyo is the capital of Fusen.

Etymology
Chukyo was originally known as Kameoka. Its name was changed to Chukyo (中京, Chūkyō, 中 chū "middle", and 京 kyō "capital").

History
Prior to the formal renaming and redistricting under the 1565 city code, Chukyo was the site of a port village named Kameoka. Kameoka dates its formal founding as sometime around 784 AC, which is the earliest record of permanent multi-family settlement in the area. The village was stated to have been founded by primarily fishermen, sailors, and laborers emigrating from the East along the Nagara River. In 895 Shunja Temple was constructed atop a hill overlooking the settlement. Records indicate Shunja became a de-facto administrative center and was the site of rudimentary archives. A bureaucratic office was established in 1041, around the same time the region was recodefied under the XXX Code reforms. The region was largely overseen by the Misaka family, who drew upon the population of Kameoka for frequent military support.

The Imperial government took limited, sporadic interest in Kameoka throughout the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. Letters of correspondence between the Imperial Palace and Misaka Masashi in 1225 and 1239 indicate several larger scale works projects were planned for the burgeoning town but ultimately were delayed due to conflict in the region. The establishment of the Kameoka Trades Market in 1252 was a major milestone as it quickly became a center of regional trade for its strategic position on the Nagara River. Misaka Castle was constructed soon after in 1298.

Kameoka became the site of several summer residences of prominent bureaucrats and aristocrats in the 14th and 15th centuries. Records indicate the general perception of Kameoka had changed from a working-class trading post to the premier social gathering place among the nobility on the Eastern coast of Fusen. The fire of 1514 and the siege of 1552 were significant setbacks and lead to large scale reconstruction of the central area of Kameoka.

In 1654 the Imperial Residence relocated to Kameoka. Kameoka was formally reorganized as Chukyo in 1691 following a large-scale code reform which was focused at reorganizing the administrative divisions of Fusen. The city was officially redistricted and large portions of the central old city were demolished and reorganized. Portions of the outer city were also subject to demolition and reconstruction. Similar redevelopment would occur in 1839 with large-scale modifications to the street layout and the establishment of public squares and plazas.

The streets were significantly widened in 1851 following the Chukyo Riots of 1847. Wide boulevards and shortened city blocks became the common theme for development in Chukyo going forwards. The city’s sewer system was drastically revamped in the 1850s as well. The Imperial Palace underwent significant rehabilitation in 1853. Public utilities were expanded over a period of time from the 1830s to 1890s. The Yoshida Dai Bridge was constructed in 1892 to link Eastern Chukyo to new development in Northern Chukyo.

The 1890s saw the rapid development of Northern Chukyo and the expansion of single-family residential and streetcar suburbs to Fukiya Island, north-east of the central city. Industrial zones were delineated outside the central old city, often intersecting with working-class neighborhoods that had developed in the West and South of the city.