Edo

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.

An 1855 edict in Emperor Kōmei's own hand at Myōshin-ji's Tōkai-an grants the Zen master Gokei Sōton a posthumous national-teacher title 350 years after his death.

In 1848, the teenaged Emperor Komei brushed this edict by hand, granting the title Buttoku Kotsu Kokushi to Gokei Soton, founder of Tokaian, for his 350th memorial.

At Manshuin in Kyoto survive 73 sets of documents from the Kokin denju, the secret transmission of reading the Kokin Wakashu, prized in Japan's literary history.

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.

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.

Preserved at Kenkun Shrine on Mount Funaoka in Kyoto, the autograph manuscript of the Shinchō-kōki (15 volumes; Important Cultural Property) was brushed by Ōta Gyūichi, a retainer who served Oda Nobunaga personally. Covering 1568 to 1582 in one volume per year and bearing an afterword by Konoe Iehiro dated 1699, it is regarded as the author's final, definitive version. Discover the eyewitness chronicle that underpins all modern study of Nobunaga, and the historic shrine that holds it.

Discover the National Treasure "Zen'in Gakuji narabini Haiji" at Tōfuku-ji Temple in Kyoto—19 masterful calligraphy scrolls by Wuzhun Shifan and Zhang Jizhi from 13th-century Southern Song China, representing the finest surviving examples of Zen temple signboard calligraphy.

Twelve Southern Song volumes at Kyoto's Tofuku-ji form the Gisho Rokujo, a 10th-century Buddhist encyclopedia and the only known Song printing of the text.

This National Treasure is a handscroll containing a preface written by Emperor Gaozong (1107–1187), the founder of China's Southern Song dynasty, for the collected literary works of his father, Emperor Huizong — the last ruler of the Northern Song. Penned in 1154, this exceptionally rare example of imperial calligraphy is both a masterwork of brush art and a poignant tribute from a son to a father lost in the upheaval of the Jingkang Incident. The scroll also bears colophons by renowned scholars including Hu Sanxing and Wen Zhengming, and is deposited at the Kyoto National Museum.

Discover the extraordinary National Treasure deposited items found inside the Shaka Nyorai statue at Seiryō-ji Temple in Kyoto. From silk internal organs to Buddhist scriptures, these 10th-century artifacts offer a rare glimpse into Song-dynasty faith and medicine.

Discover the Song Dynasty Tripitaka (Sōhan Issaikyō) at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto — a National Treasure collection of 6,102 woodblock-printed Buddhist scriptures from 12th-century China, brought to Japan by the monk Chōgen.

Discover the Song Dynasty edition of Taiping Yulan, a 1,000-volume Chinese encyclopedia designated as a National Treasure of Japan. Preserved at Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto, these 103 surviving volumes date back to 1199 and represent one of the most important literary treasures connecting Japan and China.

Discover the National Treasure "Diamond Sutra Handwritten by Daikaku Zenji" at Ryōkōin temple in Kyoto's Daitoku-ji complex. This 13th-century Zen calligraphy masterpiece by Rankei Dōryū, founder of Kamakura's Kenchō-ji, represents one of the finest surviving examples of Song-dynasty brushwork in Japan.

The Toji Hyakugo Monjo is a collection of 24,067 historical documents spanning approximately 1,000 years from the 8th to 18th century, originally preserved at Toji temple in Kyoto. Designated a National Treasure of Japan in 1997 and inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2015, this extraordinary archive is named after the one hundred paulownia boxes donated by feudal lord Maeda Tsunanori. Now housed at the Kyoto Institute, Library and Archives, the entire collection is digitized and freely accessible online.

The National Treasure 'Ink Writing by Wuzhun Shifan: Certificate of Enlightenment for Enni' at Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto is a formal inka certificate written on silk in 1237 by the great Chinese Chan master Wuzhun Shifan for his Japanese disciple Enni Ben'en. This masterpiece of Zen calligraphy documents a pivotal moment in the transmission of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan, and stands as one of the finest examples of Southern Song dynasty calligraphy preserved in Japan.

Discover the National Treasure bokuseki (Zen calligraphy) by Mi'an Xiangjie, a revered Southern Song dynasty Chan master. This sole surviving work, housed at Ryōkōin in Kyoto's Daitoku-ji, inspired a dedicated tea room and centuries of devotion from Zen monks and tea masters alike.

Seiryo-ji's National Treasure Shaka was carved in Song China in 985 and brought to Japan by the monk Chonen. Inside lay silk organs, among the oldest known.

Designated a National Treasure, the Wind God and Thunder God Screens by Tawaraya Sōtatsu is the iconic masterpiece of the Rinpa school, painted in early 17th-century Kyoto. Owned by Kennin-ji Temple and deposited at the Kyoto National Museum, this pair of gold-leafed folding screens captivates with its dynamic composition, pioneering tarashikomi technique, and unexpectedly humorous depiction of two nature deities. A stunning high-resolution facsimile is permanently displayed at Kennin-ji, located in the heart of Kyoto's Gion district.