National Treasures of Kyoto

A National Treasure at Tō-ji in Kyoto: the catalogue of scriptures and ritual objects Kūkai brought back from Tang in 806, copied out by the Tendai founder Saichō.

Held at Tō-ji in Kyoto, the Fūshinjō is a National Treasure scroll of three letters Kūkai wrote to Saichō around 810, prized as the summit of his brushwork.

Compiled in 873 CE, the Kōryū-ji Engi Shizai-chō is a National Treasure ancient document that meticulously records the Buddhist statues, scriptures, landholdings, and ceremonial vestments of Kōryū-ji — Kyoto's oldest temple. Organized into six comprehensive chapters, this rare Heian-period inventory includes descriptions of ritual garments found in no other temple records. Discover the historical significance of this invaluable manuscript and explore the treasures of Kōryū-ji Temple, home to Japan's celebrated Hōkan Miroku statue.

Preserved at Kōryū-ji in Uzumasa, Kyoto, this National Treasure scroll was compiled around 890 during the early Heian period. Serving as a verification of the earlier 873 temple register, it records the buildings, Buddhist statues, and landholdings of Kōryū-ji, offering an irreplaceable window into ninth-century temple life in ancient Japan.

The Kokin Wakashū copied by Fujiwara no Teika in 1226 is a National Treasure and the most influential manuscript of Japan's first imperial poetry anthology. Preserved for 800 years by the Reizei family in Kyoto, this extraordinary document features Teika's own handwritten annotations, collation notes, and the distinctive calligraphic style that shaped Japanese literary tradition. Discover its scholarly significance, artistic beauty, and remarkable unbroken provenance.

The National Treasure Kokin Wakashū (Manshuin-bon), preserved at Manshuin Temple in Kyoto, is an 11th-century handscroll featuring exquisite kana calligraphy on color-shifting dyed paper. Attributed to Fujiwara no Yukinari, this masterwork embodies the pinnacle of Heian-period aesthetic refinement.

Go-Saga's 1246 letter to a Ninna-ji abbot, thanking him for Buddhist rites, is the only verified autograph of the emperor and a Kamakura-period National Treasure.

Teika copied the Gosen Wakashu into one volume in 1234, aged 73. This Tenpuku-bon original, full of his own notes, is a National Treasure of Kyoto's Reizei family.

A National Treasure at Kyoto's Daitoku-ji: an autograph decree Emperor Go-Daigo wrote in 1333, fixing that only the founder's lineage could ever lead the temple.

A Daigo-ji National Treasure: a Shingon transmission scroll Emperor Go-Daigo copied by hand in 1339, two months before his death, on gold-decorated burnished paper.

The diary of Heian regent Fujiwara no Moromichi, kept until days before his death in 1099. One autograph scroll and 29 twelfth-century copies survive at Yomei Bunko.

Kyoto's Reizei family keeps the only Korai Futeisho in Fujiwara no Shunzei's own hand: the 1197 first version of his poetic treatise, written at eighty-four.

Discover the Diamond Sutra (Kongō-kyō) by Zhang Jizhi, a National Treasure of Japan housed at Chishaku-in Temple in Kyoto. This 1253 masterpiece of Southern Song calligraphy represents one of the finest examples of Chinese brushwork preserved in Japan.

Discover the Gilt-bronze Lotus Flower Pattern Kei (Kondō Renge-mon Kei), a National Treasure of Japan housed at Zenrinji Temple (Eikando) in Kyoto. This exquisite Heian-period Buddhist percussion instrument showcases the pinnacle of Japanese bronze casting and gilt metalwork.

Discover the Sanjūrokunin Kashū, a 12th-century National Treasure housed at Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto. This illuminated anthology of Japan's Thirty-Six Immortal Poets features the world's oldest known paper collage techniques, exquisite calligraphy by 20 court scribes, and lavish gold-and-silver decorated papers that represent the pinnacle of Heian-period aristocratic culture.

Ryogen wrote this testament in 972 while ill, naming the Mount Hiei halls and estates left to his disciple Jinzen. A National Treasure at the Tokyo National Museum.

Two silk scrolls in the hand of Jikusen Bonsen, a Chan monk who left Yuan China in 1329, written for a Zen abbot's installation. Held at closed Ryoko-in in Kyoto.

At Kyoto's Tō-ji, this Heian-period palanquin carried the Buddha's relics in procession. Its lacquer imitates rosewood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gilt bronze.

The National Treasure 'Portrait of Monk Myōe' held at Kōzan-ji temple in Kyoto is a uniquely unconventional portrait from the Kamakura period, depicting the revered Kegon Buddhist monk Myōe Shōnin meditating atop a pine tree deep in the mountains. Attributed to his disciple Enichi-bō Jōnin, this 13th-century masterpiece is celebrated for its innovative composition that places the human figure small within a dominant natural landscape, and for its stylistic connections to Song-dynasty Chinese painting.

Discover the Shūi Gusō, the only known autograph self-compiled poetry anthology from medieval Japan, handwritten by the legendary poet Fujiwara no Teika. This National Treasure is preserved by the Reizei family in Kyoto.

Kyoto’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.