Ink Painting on Silk Depicting the Flow of Life (by Yokoyama

Discover Metempsychosis (Seisei Ruten), Yokoyama Taikan's monumental 40-meter ink scroll painting depicting the eternal cycle of water. Designated as an Important Cultural Property, this masterwork is housed at MOMAT in Tokyo's Kitanomaru Park.

Shinkenki

Discover Jinkenki, an Important Cultural Property consisting of 12 handwritten diary volumes by a Kōfuku-ji temple abbot, chronicling 15 years of political upheaval and daily life in Sengoku-era Yamato Province. Housed at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo.

Artifacts Excavated from Maeda Cultivated Land Ruins, Tokyo

The 2,616 stone artifacts from the Maeda Kochi Site in Akiruno City, Tokyo, are designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Dating to approximately 15,500 years ago during the Incipient Jomon period, this site served as a specialized stone spear workshop and provides the earliest evidence of salmon fishing in Japan. The collection can be viewed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Archaeological Center in Tama City and the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura City.

The Legend of Kitano Tenjin Shrine, Colored on Paper (eight

Explore the Important Cultural Property 'Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki (Kōan Version)' at the Tokyo National Museum — eight surviving painted scenes from a 1278 illustrated handscroll depicting the life, exile, and deification of Sugawara no Michizane, Japan's beloved patron deity of scholarship.

Old Monkey (by Takamura Koun, 1893/wooden)

Discover "Old Monkey" (Rōen), a remarkable wood sculpture by Takamura Kōun designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Created in 1893 for the Chicago World's Fair, this masterwork blends traditional Japanese wood carving with Western realism. Visit it at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.

Excavated Items from the Kannonji Temple Site in Tokushima

Discover 922 Important Cultural Properties excavated from the Kannon-ji and Shikiji sites in Tokushima, including rare 7th-century Analects wooden tablets and the largest mokkan ever found in Japan. This remarkable collection reveals the inner workings of ancient Japan's provincial government, from bureaucratic correspondence to spiritual rituals. Free admission at Rekishiru Tokushima museum.

Iwase Family Residence (Kamihira Village, Higashitonami

Discover the Iwase Family Residence in Gokayama, Toyama — Japan's largest surviving gasshō-zukuri farmhouse. Designated as an Important Cultural Property, this five-story thatched-roof masterpiece reveals the secrets of Edo-period saltpeter production and mountain village life.

Calligraphy by Ishimuro Zenkyu (Nekōgo / 25th February, 2nd

Discover the Important Cultural Property bokuseki by Sekishitsu Zenkyū—a Zen incense-offering verse (nenkōgo) written in 1363 during the Nanbokuchō period. Owned by the Tokiwayama Bunko and housed at the Tokyo National Museum, this majestic calligraphic work embodies the spiritual depth of medieval Japanese Zen Buddhism. Learn about its history, significance, and how to visit.

Former Ominato Water Source Waterworks

The Former Ōminato Water Source Waterworks Facility in Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture, is an Important Cultural Property of Japan built between 1902 and 1910 as the first modern waterworks in the Tōhoku region. Discover its stunning gravity-arch stone dam and seasonal cherry blossoms in Suigenchi Park.

Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building

Discover the Former Fifty-Ninth Bank Head Office Main Building in Hirosaki, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property of Japan. Built in 1904 by master builder Horie Sakichi, this stunning Renaissance-style wooden building features rare kinkarakami ceilings and exquisite Japanese-Western hybrid craftsmanship.

Tsugaru Family Mausoleum

The Tsugaru Family Mausolea, five structures designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, stand within the grounds of Choshoji Temple in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. Built between 1631 and 1753, these mausolea honor successive lords and ladies of the Hirosaki Domain. Their austere unpainted wood exteriors conceal brilliantly painted ceilings featuring dragons and celestial beings. Located at the end of Zenringai — a unique avenue of 33 Soto Zen temples — they offer a profound encounter with the feudal history and sacred architecture of northern Japan.

Tsugaru Family Mausoleum

Discover the Tsugaru Clan Mausolea (Tsugaru-ke Tamaya), five Important Cultural Properties from the Edo period at Choshoji Temple in Hirosaki, Aomori. Explore their history, architecture, and visiting tips.

Artifacts Excavated from the Tangodaira Kofun Group in

Discover the Important Cultural Property artifacts excavated from the Tangodaira Tumulus Group in Hachinohe, Aomori. Explore ancient swords, jewels, and a unique Korean-made gilt-bronze sword pommel at the Hachinohe City Museum.

Excavated Products from the Myogashima Kofun Group in

Explore the Important Cultural Property clay products excavated from the Akezima Kofun Group in Iwata, Shizuoka. Over 1,064 miniature ritual objects reveal the rich spiritual world of Japan's Kofun period.

Tokikuni House (Machinocho, Wajima City, Ishikawa

Discover the Tokikuni Family Residence (Shimo-Tokikuni-ke), an Important Cultural Property in Wajima, Ishikawa. This grand 18th-century thatched-roof farmhouse traces its origins to the exiled Taira clan and showcases the prosperity of Noto Peninsula's rural elite.

Sword (inscribed Ono Shigeyoshi / Donated to the Treasure

Discover the Important Cultural Property katana by master swordsmith Ono Hankei, dedicated to Sumiyoshi Taisha by Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada in 1613. Learn about its history, craftsmanship, and how to visit this sacred treasure in Osaka.

Earthenware Vessel with a Lid and Stand

Discover the Lidded Bowl-Shaped Pottery with Stand, a designated cultural property from the Uriawari archaeological site in Osaka. Learn about its Yayoi-period origins, significance, and how to visit the Osaka Museum of History.

Former Honda Family Residence (Nakazato Cho, Nagasaki City,

The Former Honda Family Residence in Nakazato-machi, Nagasaki City, is a mid-Edo period thatched farmhouse designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property — the oldest surviving residential structure in Nagasaki Prefecture. Featuring a traditional three-room floor plan, scissor-truss roof structure, and the distinctive locally-named momozuki thatching style, it offers a rare glimpse into rural Japanese life over 250 years ago. Free admission, open year-round.

Mayama Family Residence (Mochizuki Town, Kitasaku District,

The Sanayama Family Residence in Mochizuki-juku, Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, is an Edo-period inn and shipping agency rebuilt in 1766. Its main house and traditional storehouse are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, preserving the elegant degeta-zukuri facade, white plaster walls, and lattice windows that evoke life along the historic Nakasendo highway.

Main Hall of Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine, a Branch Shrine of

Discover the Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine Main Hall, an Important Cultural Property nestled in Iiyama City, Nagano. This exquisite Muromachi-period shrine, built around 1469–1476, showcases classic nagare-zukuri architecture and the rich spiritual heritage of northern Shinano.