This neighborhood, which stretches along the wall between the Noble and Merchant Quarters, is the oldest part of an old city. Back when Ryoko Owari was just a village, the fort was on this hill - in fact, the old fort was part of the Civil Hall, until the Lions burned it down.
Actually, a great deal of the Old Section was burned down by the Lion Clan; most of the buildings are newer than those in the New Section.The names "Old Section" and "New Section" predate the Lion invasion, which makes them a little anachronistic - but everyone in the city knows them by those names, so Old and New they stay.