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.
古文書には「都方へ上る」といった表現が見られる。
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.