Important cultural property

The Holy Annunciation Cathedral of Kyoto Orthodox Church, located in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, is Japan's oldest surviving full-scale wooden Orthodox cathedral, completed in 1903. Designed by Shigemitsu Matsumuro based on Russian Holy Synod approved plans, this Russian-Byzantine style building houses a magnificent iconostasis with 30 sacred icons crafted in Moscow during the late Russian Imperial period. Designated as a national Important Cultural Property in 2022.

Built in 1904 near the Kyoto Imperial Palace, this brick Renaissance hall still holds government offices, reputedly Japan's oldest such building in active use.

Myōshin-ji's oldest subtemple holds the Kaisandō, or Mishōan, a mid-Muromachi Zen-style hall moved from Tōfuku-ji in 1537 to honor its founder, Kanzan Egen.

At Gyokuhōin, Myōshin-ji's oldest sub-temple, a cypress-bark gate fronts the founder's hall. Tradition dates it to 1409, among Japan's oldest surviving karamon.

The Hondo of Gyokurin-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto, is an Important Cultural Property built in 1621. Founded by the renowned imperial physician Manase Shōrin, it features a grand eight-room hōjō layout and fusuma paintings by Kano Tan'yū and his school.

Discover the Otamaya at Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto, an Important Cultural Property built in 1605. Marvel at the stunning Kodaiji Makie lacquerware, explore the mausoleum of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his wife Nene, and experience the splendor of Momoyama-period art and architecture.

Discover Koubai-in Main Hall, an Important Cultural Property within Kyoto's Myoshin-ji Temple complex. Built in 1604, this exquisite Zen hojo-style hall features a karesansui garden, historic fusuma paintings, and deep ties to the reviver of one of Japan's greatest Zen temples.

Discover Sagara Shrine Main Hall (Saganaka Jinja Honden), an Important Cultural Property from the early Muromachi period in Kizugawa City, Kyoto. Explore its exquisite Nagare-zukuri architecture, ancient rituals, and timeless beauty.

The Main Hall of Saguri Shrine in Kumiyama Town, Kyoto, is an Important Cultural Property built in 1494 during the late Muromachi period. This three-bay flowing-style structure with a cypress bark roof features exquisite carvings of flowers, birds, deer, and squirrels among grapevines, and its brilliant polychrome decoration was restored in the 1980s to reveal the dazzling colors of medieval shrine architecture.

The Sawai Family Residence in Kyotanabe, Kyoto, was home to deputies of the convent Donge-in. Rebuilt in 1740-41, it and its construction papers are designated.

The octagonal, vermilion Sanshōji Aizen-dō rises beyond the Tsūten-kyō at Kyoto's Tōfuku-ji. This rare early-Muromachi hall enshrines the love-deity Aizen Myō-ō.

Built in 1502, this three-bay hall is Fukuchiyama's oldest building. An ink inscription dated it, while excavation found pits where fires burned beneath its gods.

Shūon'an, or Ikkyū-ji, is where the witty Zen monk Ikkyū spent his last years and lies buried behind a locked imperial gate, amid historic halls and gardens.

The Thirteen-Story Stone Pagoda at Sennichi Cemetery in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan, erected in 1298 during the late Kamakura period. This granite tower stands approximately four meters tall and features exquisite half-relief Buddha carvings and finely detailed roof stones. Discover this hidden cultural treasure in the Tōno district, renowned for its medieval stone Buddhist sculptures.

The Honden of Juhachi Shrine, located within the grounds of Mimurodo-ji Temple in Uji, Kyoto, is a Muromachi-period sanctuary rebuilt in 1487. Designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, this three-bay nagare-zukuri shrine preserves over five centuries of architectural heritage as the guardian shrine of one of Kyoto's most beloved flower temples.

The Main Hall of Shōden-ji in northern Kyoto is an Important Cultural Property originally built as the formal reception hall of Fushimi Castle during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Discover its Kanō Sanraku sliding-door paintings, the haunting blood ceiling from the Battle of Fushimi, and the celebrated dry landscape garden with borrowed scenery of Mount Hiei.

Discover the Yorinoan Shoin of Jodoin, an Important Cultural Property relocated from Fushimi Castle, featuring Kano school paintings and a refined dry landscape garden inside the World Heritage Byodoin Temple grounds in Uji, Kyoto.

Explore the Daishi-dō at Jingoji Temple in Kyoto, an Important Cultural Property hall built on the site of Kūkai's personal residence. Discover its Momoyama-period architecture, the rare board-carved statue of Kōbō Daishi, and the stunning autumn foliage of the Takao area.

Explore the Shinjuan Kuri, an Important Cultural Property built in 1609 within Kyoto's Daitoku-ji temple complex. This early Edo-period Zen kitchen is part of the sub-temple founded by the legendary monk Ikkyu Sojun.

Discover Shinjuan Tsusen-in, an Important Cultural Property in Kyoto's Daitokuji Temple. Originally the dressing chamber of Emperor Ogimachi's consort, this elegant study hall was relocated in 1638 and now stands as a rare example of imperial court architecture within a Zen Buddhist temple.