Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Nara

Explore Tamaya Omoya, a beautifully preserved Edo-period hatago (traditional inn) at Taima-dera Temple in Nara Prefecture. This Registered Tangible Cultural Property features exquisite kote-e plaster art and now operates as a restaurant serving local Nara cuisine.

Discover the exquisite Nakanobō Inari Shrine, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property dating from the Edo period. This miniature architectural masterpiece features elaborate cypress bark roofing and vibrant decorations, enshrining the ancient deity Toyouke Ōkami once worshipped by the powerful Katsuragi clan.

Discover the Ikusei Kindergarten Building, doubling as the Nippon Sei Ko Kai Sakurai St. Paul's Church Chapel in Sakurai City, Nara. Built in 1930, this Registered Tangible Cultural Property blends Western church architecture with Japanese craftsmanship, featuring scissor trusses and pointed arch windows.

Quietly set on a wooded hillside in Uda City, Nara Prefecture, the Ushitani Family Residence Main House was completed in 1968 by the office of Junzo Sakakura, a disciple of Le Corbusier, and was added to Japan’s register of Tangible Cultural Properties in December 2024. Its deep-eaved roof, clockwise flow of ground-floor rooms, and radially arranged rafters make it a small but refined masterwork of mature post-war Japanese modernism.

A small late-Edo storehouse in the Ota brewery courtyard in Tatsuta, Ikaruga. Its sea-cucumber plaster and framed doorway show a care that earned its listing.

A long late-Edo shed at the Ota brewery in Tatsuta, Ikaruga, linking the old kitchen to the inner storehouse. One side is open, the other a boundary wall.

The main house of the Ota sake brewery in Tatsuta, Ikaruga. A roof-tile inscription dates it to 1829, a rare benchmark for dating the region's town houses.

A late-Edo tea room at the Ota brewery in Tatsuta, Ikaruga, behind the main house across a courtyard. Its three-mat plan and crawl-in door reveal the family's wealth.

The largest building at the Ota brewery in Tatsuta, Ikaruga. This early-Meiji fermentation store on a stone base shows a long western wall and joins the south storehouse.

A large early-Meiji brewing storehouse at the Ota brewery in Tatsuta, Ikaruga. It links the living and brewing blocks and anchors the storehouses that shape the town.

Completed in 1933 and designed by master carpenter Nakagawa Kichijirō, the Former Ikoma Town Hall is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property featuring traditional Japanese architectural elements including irimoya-hafu gables and refined woodwork. Now the Ikoma Furusato Museum, this beautifully restored building showcases the rich heritage of Ikoma City.

Discover the Former Sixty-Eight Bank Yagi Branch in Kashihara, Nara — a 1928 Renaissance-inspired reinforced concrete landmark, now a French restaurant. Explore this Registered Tangible Cultural Property and its fascinating history.

Saho Kaikan, located on the campus of Nara Women's University, is an alumni hall built in 1928 to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa). Designed by architect Iwasaki Heitarō, this two-story wooden building features a stately irimoya roof, a grand hall with a coffered ceiling, and refined tatami rooms with openwork transoms. It was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.

Discover the Jokyoji Temple Bulletin Board Shelter (Keijibansya), a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Nara. This early Showa-era structure stands on Japan's oldest shopping street and is connected to Ernest Fenollosa's historic lecture on preserving Japanese art.

Discover the Sanmon Gate of Jōkyō-ji Temple in Nara, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property from the late Edo period. This elegant yakuimon gate features exquisite carvings and stands on the historic Sanjō-dōri, where Ernest Fenollosa delivered his landmark lecture on preserving Japan's cultural heritage.

Tamaya Hanare Zashiki is a detached guest room of a former Edo-period inn standing before Taima-dera in Katsuragi, Nara. Designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, it offers visitors a chance to dine in a quiet, 170-year-old pilgrim's retreat surrounded by a courtyard garden.

Completed in 1926, the Nanto Bank Head Office is a Greek Revival masterpiece designed by Nagano Uheiji, a disciple of Tatsuno Kingo. Featuring distinctive sheep carvings on its Ionic columns, this Registered Tangible Cultural Property — Nara Prefecture's first — stands as a testament to Taisho-era modernization in the ancient capital.

The Hamoto Family Residence Main House, a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture, is an early Meiji-period merchant townhouse featuring refined degoshi lattice windows, mushiko-mado, and exquisite interior joinery crafted by the grandfather of the renowned sashimono master Kawasaki Yūgen.

Nara’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.