National Treasures of Kyoto

At Tō-ji, the Twelve Devas appear not as separate scrolls but across a pair of six-panel folding screens, painted on silk in 1191 and attributed to Takuma Shōga.

Discover the National Treasure silk paintings of the Seven Patriarchs of Shingon Buddhism at Tō-ji Temple in Kyoto. Five of the seven scrolls were painted by Tang dynasty court artist Li Zhen and brought to Japan by Kūkai in 806 CE, making them among the rarest surviving examples of Tang-era portraiture in the world.

A National Treasure six-panel screen at Jingo-ji near Kyoto, painted about 1200 for the Shingon kanjo rite. Its native yamato-e landscape is the oldest to survive.

A National Treasure chinso at Daitokuji, this 1334 portrait of founder Shuho Myocho bears a verse in his own hand. Shown at the October airing and 2026 Tokyo show.

A National Treasure portrait at Jingo-ji, traditionally Taira no Shigemori but possibly the shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Its sitter and date are still debated.

One of the Jingo-ji Three Portraits, a National Treasure traditionally called Fujiwara no Mitsuyoshi, though the sitter may instead be Ashikaga shogun Yoshiakira.

Discover the Blue Fudo (Ao Fudo), a National Treasure silk painting of Fudo Myoo with Two Attendants at Shoren-in Temple in Kyoto. Learn about this masterpiece of Heian-period Buddhist art, one of Japan's Three Great Fudo Paintings.

Discover the National Treasure silk portrait traditionally attributed to Minamoto no Yoritomo at Jingo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Learn about its Kamakura-era artistry, the ongoing scholarly debate over its subject, and how to view this masterpiece of Japanese portraiture.

Discover Daigo-ji's National Treasure painting of Manjushri descending from Mount Wutai on a lion, a masterpiece of Kamakura-period Buddhist art depicting the Bodhisattva of Wisdom with four attendants crossing cloud and sea.

A National Treasure at Kyoto's Zenrin-ji: Amida rises over the mountains, and five colored cords once tied to his hand were held by the dying to reach the Pure Land.

To-ji's National Treasure pair of Womb and Diamond World mandalas in color on silk, Japan's oldest such work, carries an 899 box inscription and is rarely shown.

Discover Kenpon Bokuga Sansuizu, a National Treasure ink landscape painting attributed to the great Song Dynasty master Li Tang, housed at Koto-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto. Learn about its artistic significance, history with the Hosokawa samurai clan, and how to plan your visit.

Discover Muqi's "Kannon, Monkeys and Cranes" — a 13th-century Southern Song masterpiece and one of Japan's most revered National Treasures, held at Daitoku-ji in Kyoto. A cornerstone of the Ashikaga shogunate's Higashiyama Gyomotsu collection, this three-scroll ink painting will be a headline exhibit at the Tokyo National Museum's 2026 Daitoku-ji 700th anniversary exhibition.

Housed at Daitoku-ji in Kyoto, this National Treasure is a thirteenth-century hanging scroll by the Chinese Chan Buddhist monk-painter Muqi, depicting the White-Robed Kannon in ink and light color on silk. Once part of the Ashikaga shogunate's Higashiyama Gomotsu collection and bearing Yoshimitsu's Doyu seal, it forms the central panel of the famed Kannon, Gibbons, and Crane triptych and stands as a foundational model for Japanese ink painting. A full guide to its history, artistic significance, viewing opportunities, and access to Daitoku-ji.

Discover the National Treasure 'Go-Uda Tennō Shinkan Otein Yuigō' at Daikaku-ji Temple in Kyoto — a handwritten testament by the 91st Emperor of Japan, bearing his vermillion hand print. Created in the 1320s, this remarkable scroll preserves the emperor's final wishes for the temple and Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, and stands as a masterpiece of imperial calligraphy.

Discover the National Treasure calligraphy by Emperor Go-Uda, a deeply personal biography of Kōbō Daishi written on silk in 1315, preserved at Daikaku-ji Temple in Kyoto's scenic Sagano district.

Discover the National Treasure shinkan (imperial handwritten document) by Emperor Go-Uda, written in 1308 to ensure the prosperity of Tō-ji Temple. Learn about this remarkable piece of Japanese calligraphy, the emperor's devotion to Shingon Buddhism, and how to visit Tō-ji in Kyoto.

Three autograph letters in which the cloistered Emperor Go-Uda begged the Daigo-ji master Kenjun to grant him the Sanboin esoteric lineage, now a National Treasure.

Discover the Huangdi Neijing Taisu, a National Treasure housed at Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto. This 12th-century manuscript is the oldest surviving copy of an ancient Chinese medical text that was lost in China itself. Learn about its history, significance, and how to visit.

Held at Ninna-ji in Kyoto, this National Treasure preserves the opening volume of a Tang-dynasty Chinese medical text largely lost in China, copied in 1296 and 1383.