Important Cultural Property of Gunma

Designated a National Important Cultural Property, this collection from the late fifth-century Butai No. 1 Tumulus in Maebashi—including house-shaped haniwa, hundreds of talc miniatures, and rare clay food-offering vessels—vividly evokes a Kofun-period funerary ritual. The items, owned by the State, are on view at the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History in Takasaki.

The Kasa Sotōba in Ishihara, Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture, is a stone memorial tower erected in 1356 during the Nanbokuchō period. Carved from andesite and standing approximately 220 cm tall, it bears Sanskrit inscriptions of the Four Directional Buddhas and inscriptions linked to Ji-shū Buddhism, offering a rare glimpse into medieval devotional life. It was designated a nationally Important Cultural Property in 1953.

Discover the Chorakuji Hoto, a rare Kamakura-period stone pagoda inscribed with the year 1276, standing atop an ancient burial mound at Chorakuji Temple in Ota, Gunma. Explore the Tokugawa clan's ancestral temple and the surrounding Nitta-sho heritage sites.

A 1.85-meter andesite pagoda in Kiryu, Gunma, carved with the date 801 and 45 characters offering merit to all beings, among Japan's oldest dated stone pagodas.

Discover the Tomizawa Family Residence, an Important Cultural Property in Nakanojo, Gunma. Built around 1792, this majestic thatched-roof farmhouse is one of the oldest sericulture houses in Japan, offering a rare glimpse into Edo-period rural life and silk culture.

The Hachimangu-Inari Shrine Hall, a subordinate shrine within the precincts of Raiden Shrine in Itakura, Gunma, is the oldest extant wooden shrine building in Gunma Prefecture. Built in 1547 during the late Muromachi period, it features a rare two-bay (nikensha) hip-and-gable design—one of only seven such examples among Japan's nationally designated Important Cultural Properties—enshrining both Hachiman and Inari deities under one roof.

Preserved at Fudō-ji Temple in Gunma Prefecture, this stone standing statue of Fudō Myōō bears the inscribed signatures of two In-pa (院派) school sculptors — In-ryū and a second master whose name is partially illegible. Stone Buddhist statues bearing the signatures of named sculptural masters are exceedingly rare in Japan, where wooden images dominate. This article explores the work's iconography, the history of the In-pa school, the reasons for its cultural designation, and recommendations for visitors planning a trip to Gunma.

Gunma’s registered properties across designations, with featured heritage and travel notes.

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

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