Why Is Tokyo Called Tokyo? The Eastern Capital

Tokyo means "Eastern Capital" in Japanese, written with two characters: 東 (to, meaning east) and 京 (kyo, meaning capital). The name was adopted in 1868, when Emperor Meiji moved the imperial court from Kyoto to the city formerly known as Edo. By naming it the Eastern Capital, Japan's new government explicitly positioned the city as the eastern counterpart to Kyoto, the ancient western capital — and signaled the start of a sweeping modern era.

Few of the world's mega-cities carry a name that states their political function so plainly. For more than four centuries the city was called Edo, and the change to Tokyo was anything but cosmetic. It marked the Meiji Restoration, the political revolution that ended seven centuries of military rule by shoguns and restored power to the emperor. The new name was a declaration that Japan was turning a page.

What Does the Name Tokyo Actually Mean?

The name Tokyo is built from two Chinese-derived characters (kanji):

• 東 (to): east
• 京 (kyo): capital

Put together, 東京 reads literally as "Eastern Capital." The choice was deliberate and symmetrical. Japan's old capital, Kyoto, is written 京都 — the same two character roots reversed, meaning "Capital City." By keeping the 京 (capital) character and adding 東 (east), the new name framed the city as the eastern partner of the western capital rather than a wholesale rejection of tradition. In Japanese the name is pronounced closer to "Tōkyō," with two long vowels, and written in hiragana as とうきょう.

From Edo to Tokyo: The Older Name

Before 1868 the city was Edo, written 江戸, a name meaning "estuary" or "mouth of the inlet." It referred to the place where the Sumida River empties into Tokyo Bay. The name first appears in historical records in the 12th century, when a local warrior named Edo Shigenaga built a fortification on the site and took the area's name as his own.

Edo remained a modest settlement until 1457, when the warrior-poet Ota Dokan built Edo Castle, establishing the area as a regional power center. The city's true rise began in 1590, when Tokugawa Ieyasu chose Edo as his base. After he became shogun in 1603, Edo became the de facto capital of Japan, even though the emperor and the ceremonial capital remained in Kyoto. This split — political power in Edo, imperial tradition in Kyoto — set the stage for the renaming that would come 265 years later.

Why Was the City Renamed in 1868?

The Meiji Restoration of 1868 overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate and restored direct imperial rule under the young Emperor Meiji. To consolidate the new order, the imperial court left Kyoto and relocated to Edo. The city was renamed Tokyo by imperial edict on September 3, 1868 (in the old calendar, the 17th day of the 7th month).

The renaming was loaded with meaning. Moving the emperor to the former shogunal stronghold and rebranding it the "Eastern Capital" symbolized a clean break with the feudal past and the unification of imperial authority with the seat of real political power. Within a few decades the renamed city sprouted railways, telegraph lines, gas lighting, and Western-style brick architecture, becoming the engine of Japan's rapid modernization. You can read more about the country's wider transformation in our Japan country guide.

The East Asian Capital-Naming Pattern

Tokyo belongs to a much older naming tradition shared across East Asia, in which capitals are named for their compass direction relative to one another. The 京 (capital) character recurs throughout the region:

• Beijing (北京): Northern Capital
• Nanjing (南京): Southern Capital
• Tokyo (東京): Eastern Capital

The convention reflects centuries of Chinese cultural and linguistic influence across the region. Vietnam offers a striking parallel: an old name for Hanoi was Dong Kinh, also meaning "Eastern Capital," using the very same characters. European traders rendered Dong Kinh as "Tonkin," which became the name for northern Vietnam. So the same two characters that gave Tokyo its name also live on, in altered form, in Western geography. For more on the region's symbols and identity, see the flag of Japan.

What Locals Call Tokyo Today

Tokyo holds a status unlike any other place in Japan. It is officially neither a city (shi) nor an ordinary prefecture but a metropolis (都, to) — the only entity in the country designated as such. This dual nature makes it simultaneously a prefecture and the national capital region.

• Japanese name: Tokyo (東京 / とうきょう)
• Residents: Tomin (都民, "metropolitan citizens") rather than shimin
• Abbreviation: To (都, metropolis)

The old name Edo never disappeared. It survives in everyday culture: "Edo-mae sushi" (Edo-style sushi) is the ancestor of the sushi served worldwide today, and an "Edokko" is a true Tokyoite whose family has deep roots in the city. Many globally famous districts — Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Akihabara — are place names in their own right, and Tokyoites often reference these neighborhoods rather than the city as a whole.

Key Facts

• Meaning: Eastern Capital (東 east + 京 capital)
• Previous name: Edo (江戸, meaning estuary)
• Renamed: September 3, 1868, during the Meiji Restoration
• Renamed by: Imperial edict under Emperor Meiji
• Counterpart: Kyoto (京都, "Capital City"), the former western capital
• Official status: Tokyo is a metropolis (to), the only one in Japan
• Naming family: Beijing (Northern Capital) and Nanjing (Southern Capital)

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the word Tokyo mean in English?

Tokyo means "Eastern Capital." It combines the Japanese characters 東 (east) and 京 (capital). The name was chosen to mark the city as the eastern counterpart to Kyoto, Japan's ancient western capital.

What was Tokyo called before 1868?

The city was called Edo (江戸), meaning "estuary," for over 400 years. Under the Tokugawa shoguns it grew from a fishing village into one of the world's largest cities, with a population exceeding one million by 1721.

Why was Edo renamed Tokyo?

During the Meiji Restoration of 1868, imperial rule was restored and the emperor moved from Kyoto to Edo. Renaming the city the "Eastern Capital" on September 3, 1868, symbolized the end of feudal shogunal rule and the start of Japan's modern era.

How are Tokyo and Kyoto related?

Both names share the character 京 (capital). Kyoto (京都) means "Capital City" and Tokyo (東京) means "Eastern Capital." The two are near-anagrams of each other in English, creating a poetic symmetry between Japan's ancient and modern capitals.