The ward was a district of residences for the royalty, aristocrats, and upper classes in the old capital of JapanーHeian-kyō.

The Kamo River flows on the eastern border of the ward.

The ward is home to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Kitano Tenmangu Shinto shrine, the Seimei shrine, nishijin-ori textiles, and the headquarters of the Omotesenke and Urasenke schools of Japanese tea ceremony.

The Lycée Français de Kyoto, the French international school in Kansai, was in this ward.

[3] Media related to Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto at Wikimedia Commons