Oike Street

[1] During the period of the Heian-kyō, it was a narrow street known as Sanjō Bonmon Koji (三条坊門小路).

[2] From the mid Edo period the street began to be known as Oike, due to the fact that in the past it passed by a large pond (池 ike) contained inside the then larger Shinsenen.

After 1947, due to the urban planning policy of the city, it was decided to maintain a width of 50 meters for this section.

Several subway stations of the Tōzai Line are located along this segment, as well as several relevant public facilities such as the Kyoto City Hall and Zest Oike, making it an important public space.

For this reason, in the year 2003 after an extensive infrastructure improvement project, this section was designated as "Symbol Road" by the city of Kyoto.