Daigoji Documents and Sacred Texts

Nearly 70,000 Documents Spanning Twelve Centuries

The Daigoji Documents and Sacred Texts (醍醐寺文書聖教) is documents and sacred texts from the Nara to the Meiji period handed down at Daigoji in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, which in 2013 were designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records 69,393 items in ink on paper, owned by Daigoji, first designated an Important Cultural Property in 2000.

According to the Agency, they are the sacred texts and documents that have come down together at Daigoji, varied in content and reflecting the temple's history.

The Collection

The Agency records ink-on-paper materials spanning the Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Nanbokucho, Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama, Edo and Meiji periods.

They number 69,393 items.

What to Look For

The Agency calls them among the finest collections of sacred texts and documents in any Japanese temple in both quality and quantity, of high scholarly value not only for religious history but also for Japanese literature and history.

As a vast body of material preserved together at one temple, they record the history of Daigoji.

Visiting the Daigoji Documents and Sacred Texts

The collection is owned by Daigoji and is not always on display; check the Daigoji Reihokan museum for viewing opportunities.