National Treasure

The Inaba Go, a National Treasure held by the Kashiwabara Art Museum in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, is a Nanbokuchō-period blade by the master Gō Yoshihiro. It passed from the Inaba family to Tokugawa Ieyasu, then to Yūki Hideyasu and the Tsuyama Matsudaira clan, and was designated a National Treasure in 1951. Only eleven authenticated Gō Yoshihiro swords exist, making this gold-inlaid blade one of Japan's most celebrated meibutsu swords.

The eighth volume of the Koyagire, the oldest surviving copy of Japan's first imperial poetry anthology and one of only three left whole, at the Mori Museum in Hofu.

Held at the Mōri Museum in Hōfu, this single handscroll is Japan's oldest dated copy of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, brushed and annotated in 1073.

Housed at the Kikkawa Museum in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, this National Treasure tachi was forged in the early Kamakura period by Tamenji of the Ko-Aoe school. Carried by Kikkou Kojiro Tomokane, ancestor of the Kikkawa clan, at the 1200 Battle of Kitsunegasaki against the Kajiwara clan — an event recorded in the Azuma Kagami — the blade survives in remarkably pristine condition together with its original black-lacquered leather-wrapped mounting.

A National Treasure at Amidaji in Hofu, this 1197 cast-iron pagoda was made for Chogen's rebuilding of Todaiji and enshrines a crystal stupa holding a Buddha relic.

A 13th-century portrait of Bodhidharma in red robes, this Kōgaku-ji scroll bears an inscription by Rankei Dōryū and ranks among Japan's earliest ink paintings.

Built in 1194 through the patronage of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the Tahōtō of Ishiyama-dera in Ōtsu is the oldest two-storied pagoda in Japan whose date of construction can be firmly confirmed. Its perfectly balanced form — a square lower story and a circular upper story — has earned it a place among Japan's Three Famous Pagodas, and it is a designated National Treasure. Inside are a seated statue of Dainichi Nyorai by the great sculptor Kaikei and early Kamakura pillar paintings.

The Main Hall of Ishiyamadera in Ōtsu, Shiga, is the oldest wooden building in the prefecture — a National Treasure uniting a 1096 inner sanctum with a cliff-hanging outer hall donated by Yodo-dono in 1602. Built on a natural-monument wollastonite outcrop, it preserves the Genji-no-Ma chamber where Murasaki Shikibu is said to have conceived The Tale of Genji, and remains a living icon of Japanese literary and Buddhist heritage.

Discover the Kojoin Guest Hall (Kojoin Kyakuden), a National Treasure at Miidera Temple in Otsu, Shiga. Built in 1601, this masterpiece of shoin-zukuri architecture features Kano school screen paintings and a stunning Muromachi-period garden.

Discover Kongōrinji Main Hall (Daihikaku), a National Treasure and masterpiece of Kamakura-era Japanese architecture nestled in the mountains of Aisho, Shiga. One of the Koto Sanzan temples, it offers breathtaking autumn foliage, historic gardens, and centuries of Buddhist heritage.

Discover the Saimyoji Three-Story Pagoda, a National Treasure in Shiga Prefecture's Koto Sanzan temple complex. This Kamakura-period masterpiece features exquisite cypress-bark roofing and rare polychrome Buddhist murals that have survived over 700 years.

Explore the Saimyoji Main Hall, a Kamakura-period masterpiece and one of Japan's first National Treasures. Nestled in Shiga's Koto Sanzan mountains, this nail-free cypress temple offers ancient Buddhist art, stunning gardens, and spectacular autumn foliage.

Discover the Jorakuji Three-Story Pagoda, a National Treasure built in 1400 in Konan City, Shiga Prefecture. Explore this masterpiece of Muromachi-period pure Japanese-style architecture, part of the Konan Sanzan temple trio near Lake Biwa.

The Main Hall of Jorakuji Temple in Konan City, Shiga Prefecture, is a National Treasure rebuilt in 1360. This magnificent Nanbokucho-period structure houses Important Cultural Property statues including the Thousand-Armed Kannon and Twenty-Eight Guardian Deities, alongside a National Treasure three-story pagoda amid spectacular autumn foliage.

Discover the National Treasure main hall of Zensuiji Temple in Konan, Shiga Prefecture. This 14th-century Tendai Buddhist temple houses over 30 Buddhist statues, sacred healing water, and stunning autumn foliage as part of the Konan Sanzan temple trio.

Discover Chojuji Temple's National Treasure Main Hall in Konan, Shiga. This early Kamakura-period masterpiece of pure Japanese (wayo) architecture features a rare dual-hall structure and cypress bark roof. One of the Konan Sanzan temple trio, it offers serene beauty amid stunning seasonal foliage.

Discover the National Treasure main hall of Tsukubusuma Shrine on Chikubu Island in Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture. Relocated from Fushimi Castle, this architectural masterpiece showcases exquisite Momoyama-period art including gold maki-e lacquerwork, Kano school paintings, and ornate metalwork.

The West Main Hall (Nishi Honden) of Namura Shrine in Ryūō, Shiga Prefecture, is a National Treasure of Japan rebuilt in 1308 during the late Kamakura period. This three-bay nagare-zukuri shrine with cypress bark roofing features exquisite frog-leg bracket carvings and a distinctive diamond-lattice front chamber. Explore the shrine grounds filled with Important Cultural Properties including the Rōmon Gate, East Main Hall, and a dynamic Fudō Myō-ō statue, along with access details and festival information.

Standing on Chikubushima Island in northern Lake Biwa, Hogonji Temple houses a National Treasure gate — the sole surviving structure from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Osaka Castle — along with the oldest of Japan's Three Great Benzaiten sanctuaries and the 30th station on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. Accessible only by ferry, this sacred island offers a journey through 1,300 years of faith, Momoyama-period architectural splendor, and breathtaking lake scenery.

The Main Hall of Mikami Shrine in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, is a National Treasure built in the late Kamakura period at the foot of Mt. Mikami, known as Ōmi Fuji. Featuring the unique Mikami-zukuri architectural style found nowhere else in Japan, this 700-year-old masterpiece stands alongside Important Cultural Property buildings within the shrine grounds. The annual Zuiki Matsuri harvest festival is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.