National Treasure

Discover the National Treasure tantō known as Taikō Samonji, a masterpiece short sword forged by the legendary Nanboku-chō swordsmith Sa (Samonji) of Chikuzen. Housed at Fukuyama Museum of Art in Hiroshima, this blade once belonged to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Discover the Nashiji Kiri-mon Raden Koshigatana, a National Treasure short sword with mother-of-pearl inlay and a blade by master swordsmith Tomonari, enshrined at the UNESCO World Heritage Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima.

The Heike Nōkyō is a set of 33 sumptuously decorated sutra scrolls dedicated to Itsukushima Shrine in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori and the Taira clan, designated as a National Treasure of Japan. Adorned with lavish gold and silver leaf and vivid polychrome paintings, each scroll represents the pinnacle of Heian-period decorative arts. High-quality reproductions are on permanent display at the Itsukushima Shrine Treasure Hall, offering visitors a magnificent cultural experience alongside the UNESCO World Heritage island of Miyajima.

Discover the Main Hall of Motoyamaji Temple, a National Treasure built in 1300 in Mitoyo, Kagawa. This Kamakura-period esoteric Buddhist hall is Temple No. 70 on the Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage and home to the route's only Horse-Headed Kannon.

Discover the National Treasure "Fujiwara no Sukemasa Hitsu Shi-Kaishi," the oldest surviving poetry paper in Japan. Written in 969 by one of the legendary Three Traces calligraphers, this masterpiece at Kagawa Prefectural Museum reveals the birth of Japanese-style calligraphy.

Discover the Amida Sutra at Jikoji Temple in Saitama, part of Japan's National Treasure "Jikoji-kyo" — one of Japan's Three Great Decorated Sutras. Learn about its imperial origins, golden artistry, and how to visit.

A National Treasure tachi forged in 1329 by Osafune Kagemitsu with Kagemasa. Its tang names the smiths, the warrior patron, and the shrine it was made for.

A National Treasure short sword by Osafune Kagemitsu, dated 1323, bearing a carved deity's name and later kept by warlord Uesugi Kenshin, in Omiya, Saitama.

Discover the Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingyō) at Jikō-ji Temple in Tokigawa, Saitama — a National Treasure and one of Japan's three great decorated sutras, created in the early 13th century under the patronage of Retired Emperor Go-Toba. Learn about its history, artistic significance, and how to visit.

A National Treasure at Jiko-ji, Saitama: thirty-three gilded Kamakura scrolls of the Lotus Sutra, one of Japan's three finest sets of decorated sutras.

At the Grand Shrine of Ise, this scroll is volume 22 of the Yupian, a Chinese dictionary lost in China. Copied in 904, its back bears an Ise priesthood register.

Discover the Saihō Shinan Shō, a National Treasure manuscript handwritten by Shinran at age 84, preserving the teachings of his master Hōnen. Housed at Senjuji Temple in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, this 13th-century Buddhist treasure offers a rare window into the origins of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan.

Three booklets of Japanese hymns by Shinran, founder of Pure Land Buddhism, partly in his own hand. Kept at Senju-ji in Mie and named a National Treasure in 1953.

Discover the National Treasure haniwa excavated from Takarazuka Tumulus No. 1 in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture. Featuring Japan's largest boat-shaped haniwa with unique three-dimensional decorations, this 5th-century collection of 278 artifacts offers a rare window into ancient Kofun-period funeral rituals. Visit the Haniwa Museum to see these extraordinary clay figures.

The Uesugi Family Documents, 2,018 papers from the lords of Yonezawa, survive in their original folded, sealed form as Japan's first samurai National Treasure.

A Kamakura-period National Treasure sword signed Sanemitsu, given by Oda Nobunaga to the Tokugawa general Sakai Tadatsugu in 1582, now at the Chido Museum, Yamagata.

A curved blade signed "Nobufusa," among Japan's oldest signed swords. Forged in Heian-period Bizen, given by Tokugawa Ieyasu, now a National Treasure in Tsuruoka.

Discover the Jōmon Goddess, a 4,500-year-old clay figurine and Japan's largest dogū, designated as a National Treasure. Learn about its discovery at the Nishinomae Site in Yamagata Prefecture and visit it at the Yamagata Prefectural Museum.

A National Treasure by Kano Eitoku, these gold-ground screens crowd old Kyoto with about 2,485 figures, the Gion Festival, and famous temples of the capital.

Discover the National Treasure main hall of Sumiyoshi Shrine in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. Built in 1370, this rare nine-bay nagare-zukuri structure is one of Japan's Three Great Sumiyoshi shrines and a masterpiece of Muromachi-period sacred architecture.