National Treasures of Kyoto

A 14th-century National Treasure of Chion-in, the 'Hayaraigo' shows Amida and twenty-five bodhisattvas plunging down a steep mountain to welcome a dying believer.

The National Treasure painting of Enma-ten (Yama) at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto is a masterpiece of Kamakura-period esoteric Buddhist art. Rather than the fearsome King of Hell, this silk scroll depicts Yama as an elegant, bodhisattva-like figure seated upon a white water buffalo—believed to have been created as the principal icon for safe-childbirth prayers. With its exquisite cut-gold leaf decoration and masterful brushwork, it stands as one of Japan's finest medieval Buddhist paintings.

At Daigo-ji in Kyoto, a National Treasure shows Kariteimo, once a child-devouring demon, now cradling an infant with a pomegranate, a goddess of safe childbirth.

Ninna-ji's National Treasure Kujaku Myōō, a Song-dynasty Chinese painting, shows the Peacock Wisdom King with three faces and six arms on a white peacock.

Five Heian-period silk scrolls at Tō-ji in Kyoto show the Five Great Wisdom Kings, made for the imperial New Year rite Kūkai began in 835 and shown only rarely.

A Kamakura-period National Treasure at Daigo-ji in Kyoto: five silk scrolls of the Five Wisdom Kings, led by Fudo, painted as icons of an esoteric protection rite.

Jingo-ji's Red Shakyamuni is a 12th-century silk painting whose deep vermilion robe and lacelike cut-gold patterns mark the peak of late-Heian Buddhist art.

Two Southern Song scrolls at Kyoto's Konchi-in, the Autumn and Winter Landscapes are a National Treasure once owned by the Ashikaga shoguns and ascribed to Huizong.

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.

Seven portraits of Shingon patriarchs at Toji, Kyoto, five brought from China by Kukai and two added by him, a National Treasure since 1952.

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.

The Heian painting of Fudo with two attendants at Shorenin, Kyoto, known as the Blue Fudo, a National Treasure since 1952 and a hidden image.

The Kamakura portrait at Jingoji, Kyoto, traditionally of Minamoto no Yoritomo and attributed to Fujiwara no Takanobu, a National Treasure since 1951.

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.

Two Southern Song ink landscapes attributed to Li Tang at Kotoin, Daitokuji, Kyoto, a National Treasure since 1952; the temple is closed in 2026.