Important cultural property

An eighth-century azekura log storehouse at Tamukeyama Hachimangu in Nara. Once part of Todai-ji's oil store and moved here in 1714, it can be studied up close.

South of Sakurai in Nara, Tanzan Shrine holds the world's only wooden thirteen-story pagoda, rebuilt in 1532, among vermilion halls that honor Fujiwara no Kamatari.

Denkōji is a Ritsu-sect temple in central Nara, restored in 1585 as a memorial to the warlord Tsutsui Junkei. Its Main Hall is designated an Important Cultural Property as a rare example of Momoyama-period Buddhist architecture. The temple is also renowned for its Kamakura-era 'Naked Jizō' statue and one of Nara's Three Famous Camellias.

The Main Hall of Tenjinsha Shrine in Kitano, Yamazoe Village, is a compact single-bay Kasuga-style structure built during the middle Muromachi period (around the Oei era, late 14th to mid-15th century). Designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1923, this quiet village shrine in the Yamato Highlands preserves the disciplined craftsmanship of medieval Japanese shrine architecture. It makes a rewarding cultural detour alongside Mt. Konosan, Kono-ji Temple, and the striking Nabekura-kei rock stream.

The main hall of Tennō Shrine in Bizen-chō, Tenri City, Nara Prefecture, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1396 during the early Muromachi period. Constructed in the elegant kasuga-zukuri style at the behest of a traveling monk named Raishū, this vermilion-painted, cypress-bark-roofed shrine preserves both its original ridge plaque and four syncretic Buddhist-Shinto deity images, offering a rare glimpse into pre-modern Japan's intertwined religious traditions.

The Worship Hall of Toshodai-ji is a long nineteen-bay Important Cultural Property joining a chapel and a monks' dormitory, and still hosts the October Shaka rite.

The Ōyuya behind Nigatsu-do is Todai-ji's monastery bathhouse. Rebuilt by Chōgen and overhauled in 1408, it keeps a medieval iron tub and furnace for steam bathing.

Todai-ji's East Corridor folds from the Middle Gate to the east flank of the Great Buddha Hall. Built in 1716–1737, this tile-roofed cloister frames the approach.

Todai-ji's West Corridor mirrors its eastern twin, folding from the Middle Gate to the west flank of the Great Buddha Hall. It was built between 1716 and 1737.

Beside the Hachiman Hall stands the Kanjin-sho Sutra Storehouse, a log-built (azekura) repository like the nearby Shōsō-in, raised in the early Heian period.

In the Todai-ji cemetery at Kawakami-chō stands a stone five-ring stupa with a rare triangular fire-ring, said to mark the grave of the priest Chōgen.

Designed by Sekino Tadashi in 1902, this Important Cultural Property in Nara Park echoes the Byodo-in Phoenix Hall, mixing Japanese, Western, and Islamic design.

Nanmyōji's main hall, near Nara, is a plain late-Kamakura building (1275-1332) sheltering three older Heian-period Buddhas. Designated in 1906; viewing now limited.

Niu Shrine Main Hall in eastern Nara is a one-bay Kasuga-style hall roofed in cypress bark, dated by inscription to 1442, a rare Muromachi example near Enjo-ji.

An early-Edo farmhouse in Nara's Yoshino hills, Nishida House keeps medieval rafter framing and a front-parlor plan, named an Important Cultural Property in 1968.

Discover the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Nara Christ Church, a stunning Japanese-style Anglican church adjacent to Kōfuku-ji Temple in Nara. Designed by master carpenter Ōki Kichitarō and completed in 1930, this Important Cultural Property of Japan uniquely blends traditional Japanese architecture with Western liturgical design.

Hakusan Shrine Main Hall at Abe Monjuin, Nara, is a small late-Muromachi nagare-zukuri hall and Important Cultural Property, now visited as a matchmaking shrine.

Discover the Important Cultural Property pagoda of Futai-ji in northern Nara — a Kamakura-era tahōtō surviving at the historic temple founded by the legendary Heian poet Ariwara no Narihira.

The South Gate of Futai-ji Temple in Hōren-chō, Nara City, is a four-legged gate (shikyaku-mon) built in 1317 during the late Kamakura period, as confirmed by its preserved ridge tag. With a gabled tile roof and flanking earthen walls, its bold frog-leg struts and ornate carvings are regarded as forerunners of Momoyama-period gate architecture. Designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1904, the gate stands at the entrance to the temple founded by the Heian poet Ariwara no Narihira. This guide covers the gate’s history, architectural highlights, visitor information, and nearby attractions in northern Nara.

Hidden in a quiet northern neighbourhood of Nara near the ancient Heijō Palace site, Futai-ji Temple — affectionately known as 'Narihira-dera' after the celebrated poet Ariwara no Narihira — preserves a nationally designated Important Cultural Property: its late Kamakura-period Main Hall. A rare architectural survivor combining the ancient three-bay four-sided plan with medieval interior division and one of the earliest curved head-tie beams, the hall enshrines the beloved ribbon-crowned Shōkannon and a complete set of the Five Wisdom Kings. Discover its history, highlights, and a perfect walking route along the historic Saho-ji road.