KYÔTO, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE of. — Situated in the western part of the island of Hondo (southern Japan), it comprises the civil prefectures of K., Shiga, Nara, and Mie. It covers an area of 7,350 sq. km. and has a population of 5,000,000 inhabitants. Erected on 17 June 1937 with the territory of the first two aforementioned civil provinces, it was subsequently enlarged, by a decree of Propaganda dated 11 July 1939, with the addition of the other two mentioned above, all four having been detached from the diocese of Osaka. It remained entrusted to the Society for the Foreign Missions of the United States of America (Maryknoll) until 10 October 1940, when it was transferred to the Japanese secular clergy, with the appointment of an apostolic administrator. The Maryknoll missionaries remain as auxiliaries, and have now been joined by the Canadian Clerics of St. Viator.
The civil prefecture of K. is regarded as one of the most important in Japan, especially from the historical and cultural point of view. The city of K. was the capital of Japan for almost twelve centuries (795–1869), and the emperor’s coronation ceremony is still held there. It is the center of Japanese Buddhism; of the 88 principal Buddhist temples in all Japan, 36 are in K. It is the city most visited by tourists. In 1555 St. Francis Xavier landed there, but was unable to remain because of local disturbances. In 1584 the Jesuit Fr. Figuercio baptized there the famous physician Manase Dosan, whose example influenced the conversion of no fewer than 800 of his pupils. Fr. Baldassare de Torres also preached in K., and Fr. Carlo Spinola founded an academy of sciences there; both were burned alive at Nagasaki, in 1626 and 1633 respectively. This mission has 3,017 Catholics; 1,900 catechumens; 6 national and 23 foreign priests; 4 foreign brothers; 16 native and 23 foreign nuns; 7 major and 2 minor seminarians; 46 catechists; one elementary school; one secondary school; one church and 9 chapels; one hospital; one orphanage; 5 dispensaries. K. is the city of residence of the Ordinary.