The club was started as
Kyoto Shiko Club, one of the few proper Japanese football clubs in the sense of being strictly dedicated to football and not being part of a company. Like
Ventforet Kofu, it could not rise to a
Japan Soccer League First Division dominated by company teams; in 1993, after the J.League was created, Kyoto Shiko Club, aided by funds from local new sponsors
Kyocera and
Nintendo, professionalized (though some players broke away and formed their own clubs, see below) and joined the
former Japan Football League under the new name
Kyoto Purple Sanga. First joining the J.League in 1996, Kyoto Purple Sanga hold the dubious distinction of being the League's
most relegated side, having been demoted on three separate occasions. Relegation to
J2 League occurred at the end of the
2000,
2003 and
2006 seasons; more than any other team. A 0–2 home defeat to
Urawa Reds on 14 November 2010 confirmed Sanga's relegation back to J2, bringing an end to their three-season spell in the top flight. In the 2021 season, Kyoto Sanga returned to J1 League after an 11-year absence and finished as runner-up. In 2022, Kyoto Sanga remained in J1 League after draw 1–1 against
Roasso Kumamoto in Promotion Relegation play-offs. In the 2025 season they achieved their highest league placement ever, third in J1 League. ==Affiliated clubs==