It seems a definition of an ancient capital is not exact, because there is a tendency to call even old cities like Dazaifu and Hiraizumi, or so-called little Kyoto towns established in the medieval period, or castle towns of the early-modern times such as Kanazawa City and Matsue City with many historic sites as ancient capitals, though they had never been the center of national administration.
加えて、全国政権の所在地ではないが大宰府や平泉町といった古代の主要都市や、中世以降のいわゆる小京都、更には金沢市や松江市など史跡に恵まれた近世の城下町をも「古都」と美称する傾向があり、その定義は必ずしも厳密ではない。