Important Cultural Property of Ehime

The Middle and East Buildings of Hizuchi Elementary School, Yawatahama, Ehime, designated 2012. Matsumura Masatsune's timber modernism, cluster plan, and open days.

A wax merchant's house in Uchiko, an Important Cultural Property since 1990: four buildings of about 1884, with plaster relief worked across the street wall.

Matsuyama Castle, perched atop 132-meter Mount Katsuyama in the heart of Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, is one of only twelve castles in Japan retaining original tower keeps from the Edo period or earlier. Founded by the warrior Katō Yoshiaki in 1602, its current tower keep was rebuilt in 1854 as the last fully realized castle architecture of the Edo era. With 21 structures designated as Important Cultural Properties, including Japan's only surviving watchtower-style two-story turret and the nation's largest climbing stone walls, Matsuyama Castle offers an unparalleled experience of Japanese feudal fortress architecture.

Discover the Manabe Family Residence, a National Important Cultural Property in Shikokuchuo City, Ehime. This 17th-century thatched farmhouse is the oldest surviving dwelling in the prefecture, nestled in Kiriyama—a mountain village steeped in Heike clan legends.

A headman's compound in Matsuyama, an Important Cultural Property since 1970: an 1866 main house with a thatched roof monitor, a gatehouse and two storehouses.

Discover the Kawazutsumi-no-tachi—a rare Important Cultural Property at Ōyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima Island. This treasure pairs an ancient signed blade by the Ko-Hōki-school smith Aritsuna with a battle-ready leather-wrapped mounting in yamagane fittings. Learn about its history, what to look for in person, and how to plan your visit to Japan's unparalleled storehouse of samurai arms.

Discover the Kin-kozane Beni-ito Odoshi Koshi-asagi Ōsode, an Important Cultural Property preserved at Ōyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima island, Ehime Prefecture. This gilded medieval shoulder plate combines gold-leafed scales with crimson silk lacing and pale blue accents at the lower section. One of seven ōsode jointly designated in 1969, it offers visitors a refined glimpse into the artistry of medieval samurai armor. Learn what an ōsode is, why this piece matters, and how to visit the shrine via the scenic Shimanami Kaidō.

This article introduces the Kuro-urushi Tachi, an unsigned slim tachi mounting designated as an Important Cultural Property and preserved at Ōyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima Island, Ehime Prefecture. With an overall length of 99.8 cm, the Kamakura-period mounting features hemp-cloth wrapping coated in deep black lacquer, gilt-bronze fittings, and a distinctive balance-weight (fundō) shaped guard. It served for centuries as the symbolic sword bestowed at the succession ceremony of the Ōhafuri, the hereditary chief priestly family of one of Japan's most ancient and revered shrines. Designated in 1901, the sword embodies a rare, unbroken link between a cultural object and a living ritual tradition. The article covers the sword's craftsmanship, the reasons for its designation, its sacred role within the shrine, highlights of the treasure halls where it is preserved, and practical guidance for visitors traveling to Ōmishima via the famed Shimanami Kaidō.

Preserved at Ōyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima island in the Seto Inland Sea, the Black Leather-Laced Dōmaru is a fourteenth-century Nanboku-chō period suit of armor designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Though surviving only in fragmentary form, it offers a rare and tangible connection to the medieval warriors who once crossed these seas. View it alongside one of Japan's greatest collections of samurai armor, holding roughly forty percent of all nationally designated armor in the country.

Discover the Kurokawa-odoshi Nijūkken Sujikabuto, a 14th-century black leather-laced ribbed helmet preserved at Oyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima Island, Ehime—part of Japan's greatest medieval armor collection.

Discover the Raden-Decorated Ceremonial Sword traditionally said to have been offered by Komatsu Shigemori (Taira no Shigemori), an Important Cultural Property housed at Oyamazumi Shrine on Omishima Island in Ehime. This dazzling kazari-tachi, adorned with iridescent mother-of-pearl inlay, embodies the refined courtly aesthetic of late Heian aristocracy. Designated in 1901, it offers visitors a rare window into the world of Japan's most elite court rituals.

Tucked away in the rice fields of Saijo City, Ehime, the Wooden Seated Statue of Zen Master Buttsū at Hokoku-ji Temple is a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan. This 78.3 cm portrait sculpture of the Kamakura-period Zen master Chikotsu Daie, lovingly nicknamed Kurobotoke-san for its glossy black surface, even traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1970. Discover its history, artistic value, viewing tips, and nearby attractions.