Momoyama

The shoin and the two-mat Taian tea room of Myokian in Oyamazaki, Kyoto, thought to be the only tea room left by Sen no Rikyu; a National Treasure since 1951.

Myohoin's Momoyama kuri in Kyoto, said to be the kitchen for Hideyoshi's thousand-monk service: a 21.8 by 23.7 metre hall with massive exposed roof framing.

Octagonal thatched sanctuary of 1601 at Yoshida Shrine, Kyoto, the root hall of Yoshida Shinto founded here by Yoshida Kanetomo in 1484 for all the gods.

Worship hall of 1607 at Yodo Shrine in Fushimi, Kyoto, a former dance pavilion rebuilt by Hideyori, moved in 1900 and spared when the sanctuary burned.

Ryoanji's Main Hall is a 1606 hojo, an Important Cultural Property moved here after fire. From its veranda you view the famous fifteen-stone dry rock garden.

Ryōgin-an's front gate at Tōfuku-ji, Kyoto: a small Momoyama-period Important Cultural Property fronting the 1387 hōjō, Japan's oldest surviving abbot's quarters.

The kitchen of Ryogin-an at Tofuku-ji, Kyoto, raised in 1603 and now an Important Cultural Property. A rare Zen temple kitchen surviving close to its original form.

The Momoyama mausoleum of Kuroda Josui and his wife at Ryokoin, Daitokuji, Kyoto, an Important Cultural Property since 2016, finely built.

A Momoyama rammed-earth wall on the south side of Sanjusangendo in Kyoto, built with the South Gate to bound Hideyoshi's temple complex. Designated in 1937.

An eight-legged gate of 1600 marking the southern edge of Sanjusangendo in Kyoto, built when Hideyoshi folded the hall into his Great Buddha complex. Listed 1900.

Kept at Myoshin-ji in Kyoto, this miniature armor, helmet, and saddle were made for Sutemaru, the infant son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who died at age two in 1591.

Discover the Important Cultural Property 'Letter by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Dated April 13),' an ink-on-paper correspondence revealing the personal voice of Japan's legendary warlord who unified the nation in the 16th century.

The Sumiyoshi Maki-e Desk, an Important Cultural Property owned by Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto, is a magnificent lacquerware piece produced from the Momoyama to early Edo period. Its gold maki-e designs depict pines within the sacred precincts of Sumiyoshi Shrine accompanied by waka poetry — a sophisticated utae (picture-poetry) tradition. Currently on loan to the Kyoto National Museum, it is exhibited periodically during special exhibitions.

The National Treasure 'Letter from the Portuguese Viceroy of India' at Myōhō-in Temple in Kyoto is a diplomatic letter written on parchment in 1588 by Duarte de Menezes, Portuguese Viceroy in Goa, addressed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Adorned with oil miniature paintings and gold lettering, it was presented at Jurakudai Palace in 1591. As one of the rarest European-origin diplomatic documents preserved in Japan, it offers an extraordinary window into the Age of Discovery and early Japan-Europe relations.

Momoyama gold-ground wall paintings of pines and flowers by Hasegawa Tohaku's workshop, made for Hideyoshi's Shounji and now kept at Chishakuin in Kyoto.

Gold-ground wall paintings at Chishakuin, Kyoto, including Tohaku's Maple and his son Kyuzo's Cherry Blossoms, made for Hideyoshi's Shounji guest hall.

Four gold-ground sliding-door panels of pine and plum by Hasegawa Tohaku's workshop, made for Hideyoshi's Shounji guest hall and now kept at Chishakuin.

Four gold-ground alcove panels of a great pine with sunset hibiscus and chrysanthemums by Hasegawa Tohaku's workshop, now at Chishakuin in Kyoto. National Treasure.