Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan

The Mizuya of the Daishi-den at Saikyō-ji is a tiny hexagonal water pavilion, six posts carrying a six-sided roof over a round flower-shaped basin.

The Shoin at Saikyō-ji, built in 1916 facing the guest hall, spans thirteen bays by nine and was raised for a ceaseless-nenbutsu rite the next year.

The Shinzashiki at Saikyō-ji is an early-Shōwa sukiya room behind the guest hall, its white plaster set against red-ocher posts, paired with the Kanran-tei.

Discover the Former Genshoden at Sasaki Shrine in Azuchi, Shiga Prefecture — a Taisho-era guest hall originally built for noble visitors, now a nationally registered tangible cultural property known as Sōfūen, within the sacred grounds of the ancestral shrine of the Sasaki clan.

Located on the Shiga University campus in Hikone City, the Ryosui Kaikan is a Spanish-style wooden building designed by architect William Merrell Vories in 1938. Featuring cream-colored German plaster walls, Spanish clay tiles, and decorative Taizan tiles, it was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 1997.

Discover the Jitsujōbō Gate, a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Ōtsu, Shiga. This late Edo-period yakuimon gate at a sub-temple of Saikyō-ji features elegant gable carpentry and iconic Anōshū-style stone walls.

Tucked into the mountains of southwestern Shiga, the Main Hall of Takamiya Shrine in Tarao is a refined 1859 sanctuary built by master carpenter Takagi Sakuemon. This single-bay nagare-zukuri shrine with its cypress-bark roof — registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2003 — preserves a chain of legends linking it to the wandering enshrinement of Amaterasu, to the noble Konoe family, and to a centuries-old local cult of the wolf as divine messenger.

Standing along the historic Happu Highway in Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture, the Ichi-no-Torii of Tarobogu Aga Shrine is a stone Myojin-style gateway built in 1894 (Meiji 27). With a span of 5.4 metres, this great torii frames a long northward approach toward the sacred Mt. Akagami, marking the traditional starting point of the pilgrimage to the 1,400-year-old shrine. Designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2019, it preserves the devotional spirit and stone craftsmanship of the Meiji era for visitors today.

Built in 1925, the Ema Hall of Tarobogu Aga Shrine displays votive plaques, many praying for victory. This tiled-roof hall was listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Built for sacred dance offered to the kami, the Meiji-era Kagura Hall of Tarobogu Aga Shrine is a compact copper-roofed hall listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Built in 1938, the Saikiko of Tarobogu Aga Shrine is a two-story dozo whose thick earthen walls guard ritual implements from fire. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Joined to the Main Hall on Mount Akagami, the 1924 Prayer Hall lets pilgrims worship the kami of victory at the sanctuary's edge. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

At 2.9 square metres, the Meiji-era Amulet Office is Tarobogu Aga Shrine's smallest registered building, offering victory amulets. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Built in 1934, the stone Inner Gate of Tarobogu Aga Shrine marks a threshold toward the upper precinct of Mount Akagami. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Completed in 1930, the Choraku-den is Tarobogu Aga Shrine's largest hall, blending timber and reinforced concrete on a steep slope. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Built in 1911, the Purification Pavilion of Tarobogu Aga Shrine is where visitors cleanse before worship, a copper-roofed pavilion listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Erected in 1957 with copper over a timber core, the Copper Torii of Tarobogu Aga Shrine marks a threshold on Mount Akagami. Listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

High on Mount Akagami, the late-Edo Worship Hall of Tarobogu Aga Shrine is where pilgrims pray. Its timber and copper roof earned a 2019 Cultural Property listing.

Built in 1880 in kake-zukuri style, the Stage of Tarobogu Aga Shrine juts 13 metres over the Koto plain, a cliff-hung platform listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

Built in 1930, the stone Fudo Myoo Prayer Site of Tarobogu Aga Shrine recalls its Shugendo past. Hard to recreate, it was listed as a Cultural Property in 2019.

The complete kokuhō catalogue — browse by prefecture, period, and category.

Nationwide jūyō bunkazai — architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and documents.

UNESCO-inscribed cultural and natural sites across the archipelago.