National Treasure

The Konshi Kinji Issaikyō at Chūsonji Temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, is a National Treasure collection of 2,739 Buddhist sutra scrolls from the Heian period. Commissioned by the Ōshū Fujiwara clan, these luminous scrolls feature sacred texts in gold and silver ink on indigo paper, with exquisite frontispiece paintings unparalleled in Japanese calligraphic history. Discover the history, artistry, and visitor information for this extraordinary treasure at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hiraizumi.

Discover the Raden Hakkaku Shumidan, a National Treasure octagonal Buddhist altar platform at Chūson-ji Temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate. Created in the late Heian period, this masterpiece features luminous mother-of-pearl inlay, hammered gilt-bronze kalavinka panels, and exquisite lacquerwork — a pinnacle of Ōshū Fujiwara Buddhist art.

The National Treasure Jeweled Pagoda Mandala of the Golden Light Sutra, held by Daichōjuin at Chūsonji Temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, is a set of ten extraordinary Heian-period Buddhist paintings from the 12th century. Created under the patronage of the Ōshū Fujiwara clan, each scroll features a nine-story pagoda formed entirely from sutra text in gold ink on deep indigo paper, surrounded by colorful narrative scenes—the only complete set of its kind in the world.

Discover the Gilt Bronze Lion and Arabesque Pattern Bowl (Kondō Shishi Karakusa Mon Hachi), a Nara-period National Treasure housed at Gokoku-no-ji Temple in Gifu City. Learn about its legendary connection to the Great Buddha of Todai-ji and plan your visit.

Discover the National Treasure tachi signed by Yasutsugu, a masterwork of the Ko-Aoe swordsmithing school from the Kamakura period. Once owned by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, this magnificent blade is housed at Hikaru Museum in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture.

The National Treasure 'Nittō Guhō Junrei Kōki' is the diary of the Heian-period Tendai monk Ennin (Jikaku Daishi), who traveled across Tang Dynasty China for nearly ten years as part of the last Japanese embassy. This oldest surviving manuscript, transcribed by the monk Kanetane in 1291, is an invaluable historical record of ninth-century Chinese society, customs, and religion — ranked alongside Marco Polo's Travels as one of the great travel accounts in world literature.

Transcribed in 1073 CE by the Heian-period court scholar Ōe no Iekuni, Volume 10 of the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) at Tohoku University Library is the world's oldest dated manuscript of Sima Qian's monumental Chinese history. Designated a National Treasure, it preserves invaluable kunten reading marks that illuminate the history of the Japanese language and classical scholarship.

Discover Ruiju Kokushi Volume 25, a National Treasure housed at Tohoku University in Sendai. Compiled by Sugawara no Michizane in 892, this rare Heian-period manuscript preserves Japan's ancient imperial history.

Built around 1215, Ujigami Shrine's worship hall is Japan's oldest. Shutters and a low floor borrow from aristocratic houses; a bargeboard hides the gabled roof.

Ring-dating in 2004 put the timber of Ujigami Shrine's main hall at about 1060, making it Japan's oldest surviving shrine hall. Three sanctuaries, one shared roof.

The Five-Story Pagoda of Kaijusenji Temple in Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, is Japan's only surviving five-story pagoda from the Kamakura period, built in 1214. Discover this National Treasure's unique architectural features including the rare mokoshi pent roof shared only with Horyuji Temple, its exquisite interior paintings, and the serene mountain setting overlooking the ancient Kuni-kyo capital ruins.

Kamigamo Shrine (Kamo Wake Ikazuchi Jinja), founded in 677 CE in northern Kyoto, is one of the city's most ancient sanctuaries. Home to two National Treasure halls and 41 Important Cultural Properties, its entire precinct is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover its iconic nagare-zukuri architecture, mystical sand cones, and the legendary Aoi Matsuri — over a millennium of living spiritual heritage.

Discover the Kanchi-in Guest Hall (Kyakuden), a National Treasure within the UNESCO World Heritage Toji Temple complex in Kyoto. Explore Momoyama-era shoin architecture, ink paintings attributed to Miyamoto Musashi, and serene Zen gardens.

At 54.8 meters, Kyoto's Tō-ji pagoda is Japan's tallest wooden tower. Rebuilt in 1644 after four fires, its first story holds a cosmos of Diamond-World Buddhas.

Rebuilt in 1603 by Toyotomi Hideyori, the National Treasure Kondo at To-ji fuses Japanese, Zen and Great Buddha styles and holds a 2.88-meter seated Yakushi triad.

At To-ji's northwest corner, the Mieido is a National Treasure that began as Kukai's residence. Rebuilt in 1380, it holds a daily 6 a.m. rite and is free to enter.

On Tō-ji's western edge in Kyoto, Renge-mon is a National Treasure gate named for a legend that lotus flowers bloomed in the departing footsteps of the monk Kūkai.

Discover the Keigūin Main Hall at Kōryū-ji Temple in Kyoto — a rare National Treasure octagonal hall built in the Kamakura period. Learn about its pure Japanese architectural style, connection to Prince Shōtoku, and the treasures of Kyoto's oldest temple.

Discover the Sanbo-in Karamon Gate, a National Treasure at UNESCO World Heritage Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Built in 1599, this stunning black-lacquered gate with gold chrysanthemum and paulownia crests embodies the grandeur of the Momoyama period and the legacy of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's famous cherry blossom viewing.

Explore the Sanbo-in Hall Complex (Important Cultural Property) at the UNESCO World Heritage Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Discover the Goma-do, Shinden, Junjo-kan, and other magnificent Momoyama-period buildings connected to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's legendary cherry blossom viewing party.