direction of the capital; toward Kyoto
Archaic term used in historical contexts to indicate the direction or area of the capital, especially Kyoto. Not used in modern Japanese.
In old documents, expressions like 'heading toward the capital' can be found.
Compound of 都 (miyako, 'capital') and 方 (kata, 'direction'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a pattern of archaic directional terms.