Important cultural property

Rebuilt in 1581 by the Hida warlord Mitsuki Yoritsuna, this Important Cultural Property in Gero, Gifu, is known for the water-summoning carp carved into its eaves.

Rebuilt in 1412 by a Hida warlord, this shrine hall in Gero keeps carved warblers said to have sung as it was built, beside a pair of vast sacred cedars.

At Ankoku-ji temple in Takayama, the Main Hall of Kumano Shrine outlasted the fires of the Sengoku wars. A rare one-bay misedana hall, it is among the city's oldest.

Discover the Main Hall of Hida Kokubunji Temple in Takayama, Gifu — an Important Cultural Property from the Muromachi period. Explore its ancient Buddhist statues, a 1,250-year-old ginkgo tree, and the enduring craftsmanship of the legendary Hida artisans.

The Kosaka Family Residence in Mino, Gifu, is a working sake brewery dating to 1772 and the town's sole Important Cultural Property, with a convex roof and udatsu.

Standing serenely in Shiroyama Park in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, the Main Hall of Shorenji Temple is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built around 1504, recognized as the oldest surviving Jodo Shinshu temple main hall in Japan. Constructed in the shoin-zukuri style and said to have been built from a single giant cedar, the hall showcases the extraordinary skill of the Hida craftsmen. Relocated from Shirakawa-go to escape dam flooding in 1960, its story is one of resilience and devotion to preserving irreplaceable cultural heritage.

Discover the Former Taguchi Family Residence (Kyū Taguchi-ke Jūtaku), a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1808. Now preserved at Hida Folk Village in Takayama, this grand village headman's farmhouse showcases Edo-period rural architecture with its distinctive kure-buki shingled roof and rare construction documents.

Discover the Main Hall of Takenami Shrine in Ena, Gifu Prefecture—a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1564. Explore its exquisite Muromachi-period architecture, Kamakura-era cedar legends, and the historic Nakasendo trail surroundings.

Nangu Shrine in Tarui, Gifu, is the first shrine of Mino. Fifteen halls rebuilt for Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1642 and three stone structures are designated.

The late-Kamakura tahoto at Nichiryubuji stands on Mount Takasawa in Seki, traditionally linked to Hojo Masako. It is cypress-bark roofed and free to view.

Built in 1502 and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1956, this Muromachi worship hall in Yamagata City, Gifu, keeps its cypress-bark roof. Free entry.

Rising 24.6 metres in the grounds of a Shinto shrine in Godo, Gifu, this late Muromachi pagoda was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1914. Grounds free.

Completed in 1916 across the Nagara River in Mino, Gifu, this 113-metre bridge is Japan's oldest surviving modern suspension bridge. Open to walkers and cyclists.

This late fifteenth-century hall in Yaotsu, Gifu, applies Zen-style building to a small three-bay plan under a thatched roof. An Important Cultural Property.

Known as Kokaya Yakushido, this square hall in Hida City, Gifu, was rebuilt in early Muromachi times from Kamakura-era timbers, as repair work in 1974 confirmed.

Rebuilt in 1907 and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1966, the Yoshijima Residence in Takayama is known for the beam lattice above its earth floor.

Discovered on the floor of Pit Dwelling No. 1 at the Nukatsuka Site in Katano-machi, Takayama, this pair of shallow bowl-shaped Jomon vessels was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1988. Their flat disk forms, intricate impressed patterns, and rings of small holes preserve evidence of cultural exchange between the Hida highlands and eastern Japan some five thousand years ago. Encounter them at the Hida Takayama Museum of History and Art.

Standing in the precincts of Nagataki Hakusan Shrine in Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, this hexagonal stone lantern bears an inscription dating it to 1302, the late Kamakura period. Carved from andesite and rising over three metres tall, it is decorated with lotus petals, running lions, and a small seated Buddha figure. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, it is one of the finest dated stone lanterns of medieval Japan and a rare surviving witness to the Mino-side centre of Hakusan mountain worship.

Discover the Important Cultural Property ceramics excavated from the Motoyashiki kiln site in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture. Explore exquisite Oribe, Shino, Ki-Seto, and Seto-Guro wares that reveal the golden age of Japanese tea ceremony ceramics.

Preserved at Entoku-ji Temple in Gifu City, the Rakuichi-Rakuza Seisatsu is a set of four original wooden placards (with one attached) issued by Oda Nobunaga and the Ikeda lords between 1567 and 1584. Posted at the gate of the Kanō market just after Nobunaga renamed Inabayama Castle to Gifu, they survive in remarkable physical form. Designated a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 1993, they are a primary source at the heart of Japan's economic history.