National Treasures of Iwate
岩 手 県 の 国 宝Iwate’s national treasures — properties designated kokuhō for their exceptional value to the nation.
The Golden Hall of Chusonji in Iwate, built in 1124, is lacquered and gilded inside and out, with four Fujiwara coffins beneath its altars. A National Treasure.
A Kamakura gong at Chusonji in Hiraizumi, Iwate. Its inscription records a gift to Motsuji in 1250, and only the peacocks on the front bear flowers in their beaks.
Four Kamakura ritual objects from the sutra repository at Chusonji in Iwate. The gong stand has lost its shell inlay, and only the cuts for it remain.
Heian ritual objects in the Golden Hall of Chusonji, Iwate, listed as fourteen items. What is designated is the equipment inside, not the hall itself.
Discover the National Treasure statues and canopies inside Chūson-ji's Golden Hall in Hiraizumi, Iwate. Explore 33 gilded Buddhist sculptures from the 12th century, learn about the Ōshū Fujiwara legacy, and plan your visit to this UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece.
The Konshi Kinji Issaikyō at Chūsonji Temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, is a National Treasure collection of 2,739 Buddhist sutra scrolls from the Heian period. Commissioned by the Ōshū Fujiwara clan, these luminous scrolls feature sacred texts in gold and silver ink on indigo paper, with exquisite frontispiece paintings unparalleled in Japanese calligraphic history. Discover the history, artistry, and visitor information for this extraordinary treasure at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hiraizumi.
Discover the Raden Hakkaku Shumidan, a National Treasure octagonal Buddhist altar platform at Chūson-ji Temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate. Created in the late Heian period, this masterpiece features luminous mother-of-pearl inlay, hammered gilt-bronze kalavinka panels, and exquisite lacquerwork — a pinnacle of Ōshū Fujiwara Buddhist art.
The National Treasure Jeweled Pagoda Mandala of the Golden Light Sutra, held by Daichōjuin at Chūsonji Temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, is a set of ten extraordinary Heian-period Buddhist paintings from the 12th century. Created under the patronage of the Ōshū Fujiwara clan, each scroll features a nine-story pagoda formed entirely from sutra text in gold ink on deep indigo paper, surrounded by colorful narrative scenes—the only complete set of its kind in the world.
More from Iwate
Iwate’s registered properties across designations, with featured heritage and travel notes.
The complete kokuhō catalogue — browse by prefecture, period, and category.
Nationwide jūyō bunkazai — architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and documents.