Refers to the palace of an emperor, especially in historical East Asian contexts. Not used for modern Western palaces.
capital city
General term for a capital, often used in historical or formal contexts. Modern Japanese usually prefers 首都.
Keijō (colonial-era name for Seoul)
Historical term used during the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945) to refer to Seoul. Now obsolete and politically sensitive; use ソウル in modern contexts.
See also: ソウル
The gates of the imperial palace were heavily guarded.
The former capital still retains many historical sites today.
Keijō was the name for Seoul during the Japanese colonial period.