Edo

The Hondo of Gyokurin-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto, is an Important Cultural Property built in 1621. Founded by the renowned imperial physician Manase Shōrin, it features a grand eight-room hōjō layout and fusuma paintings by Kano Tan'yū and his school.

The Sawai Family Residence in Kyotanabe, Kyoto, was home to deputies of the convent Donge-in. Rebuilt in 1740-41, it and its construction papers are designated.

Shūon'an, or Ikkyū-ji, is where the witty Zen monk Ikkyū spent his last years and lies buried behind a locked imperial gate, amid historic halls and gardens.

Discover Shinjuan Tsusen-in, an Important Cultural Property in Kyoto's Daitokuji Temple. Originally the dressing chamber of Emperor Ogimachi's consort, this elegant study hall was relocated in 1638 and now stands as a rare example of imperial court architecture within a Zen Buddhist temple.

Discover Shinjuan Hondo, an Important Cultural Property at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Built in 1638, this Zen main hall houses Japan's oldest surviving fusuma paintings and connects visitors to the legendary monk Ikkyu Sojun.

The Main Hall of Shinshō-gokuraku-ji — better known as Shinnyo-dō — is the largest Tendai-school main hall in Kyoto. Built in 1717 from solid zelkova, it shelters the secret 'Nodding Amida' image, opened once a year on November 15.

Discover Sumiya, the only remaining ageya banquet house in Japan, designated as an Important Cultural Property. Explore Edo-period architecture, fusuma paintings by Yosa Buson, and the samurai history of Kyoto's Shimabara district.

Reached by a rare downhill approach, this 1669 Zen-style Buddha Hall holds three Buddhas of past, present, and future beneath a coiling dragon by Kanō Tan'yū.

The Takizawa Family Residence in Kurama, Kyoto, is a former charcoal wholesaler's townhouse built around 1760, designated as a national Important Cultural Property. It is recognized as the oldest known example of the tōri-doma (running earth-floor corridor) style machiya in Kyoto, preserving the authentic character of mid-Edo-period merchant architecture in the historic temple town of Kurama.

Discover Chion-in, the grand head temple of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism in Kyoto. Explore Japan's largest wooden gate (National Treasure), the majestic Miei-do Hall, the legendary Seven Wonders, and the iconic 70-ton bell. A must-visit spiritual landmark in Higashiyama.

Standing at the foot of Mount Kacho in Kyoto's Higashiyama district, Chion-in is the head temple of Jodo-shu (Pure Land Buddhism). Discover the National Treasures of Japan's largest wooden Sanmon Gate and the colossal Mieido Hall rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu, along with the Great Bell ranking among Japan's three greatest Buddhist bells. Explore the famous Seven Wonders, including the Forgotten Umbrella and the Nightingale Floors, the seasonal beauty of Yuzen-en Garden, and nearby Higashiyama attractions like Gion and Yasaka Shrine in this complete guide to one of Japan's most significant Buddhist temples.

Built in 1641 as Chion-in's Imperial Messenger's Gate, this Important Cultural Property carries fine carvings of sages riding a carp and a crane on its struts.

Built in 1621 by Tokugawa Hidetada beside Chion-in’s great gate, this Important Cultural Property houses an octagonal cabinet holding a Song-edition Buddhist canon.

Discover the Sanmon Gate of Chion-in Temple in Kyoto, a National Treasure and the largest wooden temple gate in Japan. Standing 24 meters tall and 50 meters wide, this 1621 masterpiece features stunning polychrome paintings and Buddhist statuary inside its upper story.

Chion-in's Great Bell Tower, built in 1678, holds a 70-ton bronze bell cast in 1636, one of Japan's three great bells, rung each New Year's Eve by seventeen monks.

Discover Chion-in's Miei-do, a National Treasure built in 1639 by the Tokugawa shogunate. Explore the grand hall honoring Honen Shonin, its Seven Wonders, and the heart of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism in Kyoto's Higashiyama district.

The Main Hall of Tenkyūin, a sub-temple of Myōshin-ji in Kyoto, is a quintessential example of early Edo-period Zen hōjō architecture, designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan since 1922. Its interior houses 152 panels of stunning gold-leaf barrier paintings by Kanō school masters Sanraku and Sansetsu — a rare and magnificent sight within a Zen temple. Discover this normally closed treasure of Japanese cultural heritage.

Lining Horikawa Avenue at Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto, the six structures — the Sōmon, Goeidō-mon, Chōzusho, Amidadō-mon, Kyōzō, and Korō — were designated Important Cultural Properties in 2014. From the 1677 Sutra Repository with its Arita-tile-lined revolving cabinet to the lavishly carved four-legged gates, this ensemble showcases Edo-period craftsmanship at one of Japan's most important Buddhist head temples.

Explore Hongan-ji Amida-do, a National Treasure and UNESCO World Heritage hall at Nishi Honganji in Kyoto. Discover its stunning Edo-period architecture, golden inner sanctuary, and spiritual heritage—just 15 minutes from Kyoto Station.

The Honganji Goeidō (Founder's Hall) at Nishi Honganji Temple in Kyoto is a National Treasure rebuilt in 1636. Measuring 62m × 48m with a height of 29m, it ranks among the largest surviving Edo-period wooden structures in Japan. With its 441-tatami outer hall, golden inner sanctuary, and advanced early 17th-century construction techniques, the hall stands as the crowning achievement of Jōdo Shinshū temple architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.