Important cultural property

Discover Shinjuan Hondo, an Important Cultural Property at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Built in 1638, this Zen main hall houses Japan's oldest surviving fusuma paintings and connects visitors to the legendary monk Ikkyu Sojun.

The Main Hall of Shinshō-gokuraku-ji — better known as Shinnyo-dō — is the largest Tendai-school main hall in Kyoto. Built in 1717 from solid zelkova, it shelters the secret 'Nodding Amida' image, opened once a year on November 15.

Built in 1406, the main hall of Shindō-ji in southern Kyoto is an Important Cultural Property and the heart of a Shugendō mountain temple, housing a 2.7-meter Zaō Gongen image carved in the Muromachi period.

Zuihō-in's gate at Daitoku-ji, raised 1536-1555 for Christian daimyo Ōtomo Sōrin's Zen temple. A rare late-Muromachi munemon with original cypress-bark roof.

The main hall of Zuihō-in, a sub-temple of Kyoto's Daitoku-ji, was built between 1536 and 1555 by the Christian daimyō Ōtomo Sōrin's order. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 1962, it is one of the finest surviving examples of late-Muromachi hōjō architecture in Kyoto.

Discover Sumiya, the only remaining ageya banquet house in Japan, designated as an Important Cultural Property. Explore Edo-period architecture, fusuma paintings by Yosa Buson, and the samurai history of Kyoto's Shimabara district.

Discover Seifuso Villa in Kyoto, an Important Cultural Property and former private residence of Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi. Explore the exquisite sukiya-zukuri architecture by master carpenter Yagi Jinbee II and the celebrated garden by Ogawa Jihei VII.

A large, richly carved Momoyama four-legged gate crowning Sennyū-ji. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 1966, it opens onto a downhill path to the Buddha Hall.

Reached by a rare downhill approach, this 1669 Zen-style Buddha Hall holds three Buddhas of past, present, and future beneath a coiling dragon by Kanō Tan'yū.

One of a pair of seamless stone stupas, or muhōtō, standing north of the Founder's Hall at Sennyū-ji. Both date to the early Muromachi period and were designated in 1955.

One of two seamless stone stupas north of the Founder's Hall at Sennyū-ji, the imperial temple. Both date to the early Muromachi period and were designated in 1955.

At the summit of Daigo-yama, the Kaisan-dō honours Daigoji's founder Shōbō. Rebuilt under Toyotomi Hideyori around 1608, it is the largest hall of the upper precinct.

In lower Daigo, beside the pagoda, the Seiryū-gū Honden enshrines Daigoji's guardian deity. Rebuilt in 1517, it differs from the National Treasure hall on the summit.

Near the summit of Daigo-yama, the Nyoirin-dō is built out over the slope in kake-zukuri style. Rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1606, it enshrines Nyoirin Kannon.

Near Kyoto's Nanzen-ji, this Meiji villa pairs a famed Ueji garden, fed by the Lake Biwa Canal, with a sukiya house named an Important Cultural Property in 2024.

The Takizawa Family Residence in Kurama, Kyoto, is a former charcoal wholesaler's townhouse built around 1760, designated as a national Important Cultural Property. It is recognized as the oldest known example of the tōri-doma (running earth-floor corridor) style machiya in Kyoto, preserving the authentic character of mid-Edo-period merchant architecture in the historic temple town of Kurama.

Discover the Mikoshi Storehouse (Mikoshi-gura) of Sakatoke Shrine in Oyamazaki, Kyoto — an Important Cultural Property and Japan's oldest surviving itakura (plank-built) storehouse, dating from the Kamakura period. Explore this hidden gem on the historic Mt. Tennozan hiking trail.

Discover Chion-in, the grand head temple of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism in Kyoto. Explore Japan's largest wooden gate (National Treasure), the majestic Miei-do Hall, the legendary Seven Wonders, and the iconic 70-ton bell. A must-visit spiritual landmark in Higashiyama.

Standing at the foot of Mount Kacho in Kyoto's Higashiyama district, Chion-in is the head temple of Jodo-shu (Pure Land Buddhism). Discover the National Treasures of Japan's largest wooden Sanmon Gate and the colossal Mieido Hall rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu, along with the Great Bell ranking among Japan's three greatest Buddhist bells. Explore the famous Seven Wonders, including the Forgotten Umbrella and the Nightingale Floors, the seasonal beauty of Yuzen-en Garden, and nearby Higashiyama attractions like Gion and Yasaka Shrine in this complete guide to one of Japan's most significant Buddhist temples.

Built in 1641 as Chion-in's Imperial Messenger's Gate, this Important Cultural Property carries fine carvings of sages riding a carp and a crane on its struts.