Kamishichiken is a district of northwest Kyoto, Japan. It is the oldest hanamachi (geisha district) in Kyoto, and is located just east of the Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine. The name Kamishichiken literally means "Seven Upper Houses." These refer to the seven teahouses built from the equipment and material leftover from the rebuilding of the Kitano Shrine in Muromachi era (1333–1573).
Kamishichiken is located in Kyoto’s Nishijin area, which is known for traditional hand-woven textiles. The quiet streets of Kamigyo-ku are made up of dark, wooden buildings, mainly o-chaya (teahouses) and okiya (geisha houses). Unlike the other remaining districts, which are located close to the city center, Kamishichiken is further away, and accordingly significantly quieter and attracts fewer tourists. The geisha of this district are known for being subtle and demure, few in number but each highly accomplished dancers and musicians.
The district crest is a ring of skewered dango (sweet dumplings). On lanterns they appear as red circles on white paper (as opposed to Gion, which uses a similar design, but with the reverse colors – white dango on a red background).
The listed coordinates is a narrow street that is crowded on some day of the week or in hours.
室町時代に北野天満宮の再建の際に残った資材を使い、七軒の茶店を建てたというのが、 「上七軒」の名の由来であるとされています。 上七軒は京都五花街のうち最古の花街です。
豊臣秀吉が北野で大茶会を開いた折に団子を献上したところ大いに誉められ、 団子が上七軒の紋章になったとされています。
上七軒芸妓組合は、西方尼寺（さいほうにじ）の東側の狭い通りにあります。平日の昼間にはしばしば三味線や鼓の音が漏れ聞こえてくる雅な通りですが、曜日や時間帯によっては人通りが多いことがありますのでご注意ください。