Important cultural property

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.

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.

A small gabled hall behind the stone pagoda at Hannya-ji in Nara. Repair work revealed an earth floor and an unknown original purpose. Few medieval examples survive.

Granite, about 14.2 metres, raised in Nara in 1253 by a mason from Song China. Four Buddhas cut into the lowest tier, reliquaries sealed inside, cosmos at its foot.

Hitomaro Shrine Main Hall in Kashihara, Nara, is a single-bay kasuga-zukuri sanctuary of 1345 honoring the poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, dated by a ridge-beam text.

Fukiji Main Hall in Kawanishi, Nara, is a hipped-roof Buddhist hall rebuilt in 1388 per a 1679 inscription. It adjoins Mutsugata Shrine and holds a Heian Shaka.

The Former Fukiji Arhat Hall at Horyuji in Ikaruga, Nara, was rebuilt by 1971 from late Heian timbers that left Fukiji in Kawanishi and sat in Tokyo from 1935.

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.