Heian

Kyoto · 平安

Browse Kyoto’s cultural heritage from the Heian period (794 – 1185). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.

786 total Kyoto Heian Period 794 – 1185
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Wooden Statues of Bodhisattvas on Clouds (in the Phoenix Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Statues of Bodhisattvas on Clouds (in the Phoenix Hall)

Discover the 52 National Treasure Bodhisattva on Clouds statues at Byodoin's Phoenix Hall in Uji, Kyoto. Created in 1053 by master sculptor Jocho's workshop, these celestial figures play music and dance on clouds, bringing the Pure Land paradise to life.
Wooden Standing Statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Kokuzo Bosatsu

Discover the National Treasure wooden standing statue of Kokūzō Bosatsu (Ākāśagarbha) at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Carved from a single block of Japanese nutmeg wood in the 9th century, this masterpiece of early Heian danzo sculpture features breathtaking drapery and a fascinating story of rediscovered identity.
Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Kokuzo Bodhisattvas
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Kokuzo Bodhisattvas

Discover the National Treasure Five Great Kokūzō Bodhisattva statues at Jingoji Temple in Kyoto. Commissioned by Emperor Ninmyō and crafted under Kūkai's disciple Shinzei in the 9th century, these five color-coded seated figures are the oldest complete set of their kind in Japan, open to the public only a few days each year.
Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas (in the Lecture Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Seated Statues of the Five Great Bodhisattvas (in the Lecture Hall)

Discover the Five Great Bodhisattvas (Godai Bosatsu) at Toji Temple's Lecture Hall in Kyoto. These National Treasure wooden statues from the early Heian period form part of Japan's oldest three-dimensional mandala, conceived by Kobo Daishi Kukai.
Wooden Statues of the Five Great Myoo (in the Lecture Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Statues of the Five Great Myoo (in the Lecture Hall)

Discover the National Treasure Five Great Wisdom Kings (Godai Myōō) at Tō-ji Temple's Lecture Hall in Kyoto. Dating from the early Heian period, these powerful esoteric Buddhist sculptures are Japan's oldest known set of Wisdom King statues and form part of the iconic three-dimensional mandala conceived by Kōbō Daishi Kūkai.
Wooden Standing Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (in the Lecture Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (in the Lecture Hall)

Discover the National Treasure wooden Four Heavenly Kings statues enshrined in the Lecture Hall of Tō-ji Temple, Kyoto. Carved in the early Heian period as part of Kūkai's three-dimensional mandala, these powerful guardian figures represent masterpieces of early Japanese Buddhist sculpture within a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wooden Standing Statue of the Four Heavenly Kings
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of the Four Heavenly Kings

Discover the National Treasure wooden standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) at Joruri-ji Temple in Kizugawa, Kyoto. These late Heian period masterpieces feature exquisite kirikane gold leaf decoration and vivid original coloring, guarding the only surviving nine-image Amida hall in Japan.
Wooden Standing Statue of Shaka Nyorai (by Zhang Yanjiao and Zhang Yanxi; brought back by Chonen, in the Main Hall)
Kyoto 北宋
Wooden Standing Statue of Shaka Nyorai (by Zhang Yanjiao and Zhang Yanxi; brought back by Chonen, in the Main Hall)

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.
Wooden Standing Statue of Eleven-Headed Kannon (in the Main Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Eleven-Headed Kannon (in the Main Hall)

Discover the National Treasure wooden standing Eleven-Faced Kannon statue at Rokuhara Mitsuji Temple in Kyoto. Carved in 951 by the monk Kuya, this sacred hidden Buddha is unveiled only once every 12 years during the Year of the Dragon.
Wooden Standing Statues of the Twelve Divine Generals (attributed to Chosei)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statues of the Twelve Divine Generals (attributed to Chosei)

The National Treasure Wooden Standing Statues of the Twelve Divine Generals at Kōryū-ji Temple in Kyoto are Japan's oldest surviving wooden examples of these iconic Buddhist guardian sculptures. Created in 1064 by Chōsei, a disciple of the legendary sculptor Jōchō, these twelve armored warriors protecting the Medicine Buddha showcase the refined artistry of mid-Heian period woodcarving. Experience them up close without glass cases in Kyoto's oldest temple.
Wooden Goddess Seated Statue
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Goddess Seated Statue

Discover the National Treasure Wooden Seated Goddess Statues at Tō-ji Temple (Kyōōgokoku-ji) in Kyoto. These 9th-century Heian-period sculptures are among Japan's oldest surviving Shinto deity carvings, reflecting the fascinating fusion of Buddhism and Shinto known as shinbutsu-shūgō.
Wooden Standing Statues of Thousand-Armed Kannon (in the Main Hall of Rengeoin)
Kyoto 平安～鎌倉
Wooden Standing Statues of Thousand-Armed Kannon (in the Main Hall of Rengeoin)

Sanjusangen-do's 1,001 standing Thousand-Armed Kannon include 124 Heian figures saved from the 1249 fire. The full set became a National Treasure in 2018.
Wooden Standing Statue of Thousand-Armed Kannon (in the Lecture Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Thousand-Armed Kannon (in the Lecture Hall)

A ninth-century National Treasure at Koryu-ji, this 266 cm Thousand-Armed Kannon was carved from a single cypress block and shows eleven faces and forty arms.
Wooden Standing Statue of Thousand-Armed Kannon
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Thousand-Armed Kannon

Near Tofuku-ji in Kyoto, Hosho-ji keeps a National Treasure Senju Kannon of the tenth century, cut from one cherry block, bearing some twenty-seven faces.
Wooden Seated Statue of Hachiman in the Form of a Monk
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Seated Statue of Hachiman in the Form of a Monk

At Kyoto's To-ji, the seated image of Hachiman as a Buddhist monk is among Japan's oldest surviving Shinto deity sculptures, a record of how the two faiths merged.
Wooden Canopy
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Canopy

A Heian National Treasure, the wooden canopy of Tō-ji hangs above a secret Fudō Myōō in the Mieidō. Unseen by the public, it is one of few ranked as sculpture.
Wooden Canopy (located at Houou-Do)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Canopy (located at Houou-Do)

Over the gilded Amida in Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall hangs a 1053 National Treasure: a shell-inlaid black-lacquer square canopy holding an openwork floral round canopy.
Wooden Standing Statue of Tobatsu Bishamonten (in the Bishamondo)
Kyoto 唐
Wooden Standing Statue of Tobatsu Bishamonten (in the Bishamondo)

Tobatsu Bishamonten at Kyoto's To-ji, a Tang-dynasty National Treasure that once guarded Rashomon gate. The 189.4 cm figure stands on the palms of the earth goddess.
Wooden Standing Statues of Bishamonten with Kichijoten and Zennishi Doji (in the Main Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statues of Bishamonten with Kichijoten and Zennishi Doji (in the Main Hall)

At Kurama-dera above Kyoto stands Japan's oldest Bishamonten triad, a National Treasure whose central guardian lifts a hand to his brow and gazes toward the capital.
Wooden Standing Statue of Fukukenjaku Kannon (in the Lecture Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Fukukenjaku Kannon (in the Lecture Hall)

A 313.6 cm Fukūkenjaku Kannon at Kōryū-ji, Kyoto's oldest temple. Three eyes, eight arms, carved from one block, it survived the 818 fire and stands in the Reihōden.