Is 西院 Read Sai or Saiin?

Sai on Randen, Saiin on Hankyu

Randen's 西院 Station is written 西院（さい）, and in romaji it is "Sai." Hankyu Kyoto Line's 西院 Station, on the other hand, is Saiin (さいいん). If you look only at the kanji on signs, they appear to be the same station name, but the reading differs by line.

Among the main stations along Shijō-dōri are Hankyu's Saiin Station and Randen's "Sai Station." Hankyu's Saiin Station is also one of the main stations along Nishiōji-dōri.

As a Town Name, It Is Saiin

Ukyō Ward has 50 town names beginning with 西院, such as 西院春日町 (Saiin Kasuga-chō), 西院高山寺町 (Saiin Kōzanji-chō), and 西院巽町 (Saiin Tatsumi-chō), and all of their readings begin with Saiin.

At Saiin Kasuga Shrine in Saiin Kasuga-chō, a "Saiin Village Road Origin Marker" survives. It is one of the road origin markers set up in each municipality of the time under the old Road Act of 1920 (Taishō 9); it is said to belong to Saiin village in Kadono District, and it is read Saiin-mura.

Where Does the Name 西院 Come From? The Junna-in Connection

In front of Kōzan-ji in Saiin Kōzanji-chō stands a stone marker for the "Site of the Junna-in." The Junna-in was the detached palace of Emperor Junna (786–840) after his abdication; it was known as a scenic estate four chō square, and poetry gatherings were often held there.

After the emperor's death, it became the residence of Empress Masako (Princess Seishi) and a place of Buddhist practice, but it burned down; it later became a convent and is said to have also been called 西院 ("Western Palace"). The place name 西院 can be linked to this alternate name for the Junna-in.

On the other hand, as far as could be confirmed, there is no clear explanation for why only the Randen station is read Sai. Rather than assert an unclear origin, it is safest to remember it as "a reading that survives in a station name."

Add the Line Name When Transferring or Talking

From Hankyu's Saiin Station, you can transfer to the Keifuku Electric Railroad (Randen), Kyoto City Bus, and Kyoto Bus. Randen's Sai Station is the next station after Shijō-Ōmiya, 3 minutes from Shijō-Ōmiya according to the timetable.

When telling someone where you are going or searching for it, adding the line name—"Randen's Sai" or "Hankyu's Saiin"—avoids mistakes. When looking up the station name in hiragana, too, you will use さい for Randen and さいいん for Hankyu.

Walking Tip: Trace the Old Saiin Village Through Stone Markers

Several stone markers remain around Saiin. The "Atago-michi" (Atago road) signpost in Saiin Tatsumi-chō is carved with the characters 西院村 (Saiin village), along with directions to places such as あたご (Atago, 愛宕), むめミや (Umemiya, 梅宮), まつのを (Matsunoo, 松尾), and たんは (Tanba, 丹波).

On the grounds of Saiin Elementary School there is also a "Tanba, Katsura Ferry, Yoshimine Road" signpost erected in 1813 (Bunka 10), which also points the way to Kyoto's Shijō entrance and Kitano Tenjin (it is on school grounds, so do not enter without permission). Prompted by the difference in station readings, you can confirm through the characters carved in stone that Saiin was a village on the route toward Tanba and Arashiyama.

Differences in Reading Are Clues to Kyoto's Place Names

Kyoto has place names whose readings are hard to guess from the kanji, and places where several readings survive for the same spelling. 西院 is an example where Saiin is used for town and village names, while railway station names have each inherited one of two readings, Sai and Saiin.

Many people learn the readings of place names from station names, but with 西院, if you learn it only from the Randen station name, it is easy to misread the town names. It is reassuring to sort it out as: "Town names and Hankyu are Saiin; only the Randen station is Sai."