Edo

Joined to the north flank of the main hall at Jizoji in Tokushima, this late Edo hall is built around a central goma fire altar, and its carved gable is admired.

Tucked away in Tokushima City's historic Kokufu district, the Zoshu-in Tea Room is a refined late-Edo sukiya building registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2021. Its five rooms—two tea rooms, a mizuya, a waiting room, and a formal upper room—showcase a remarkable variety of prized timbers and carefully varied designs. Set within a ninth-century temple and steps from four Shikoku Pilgrimage sites, it offers a rare, crowd-free glimpse into provincial Edo architectural refinement.

Discover Zoushuin Maikomi-izumi in Tokushima, a nationally registered Edo-period spiral well of a type rarely seen in western Japan. Explore its history, stone craftsmanship, and the rich heritage landscape of Kokufu-cho.

Chiiori, meaning 'House of the Flute,' is an approximately 300-year-old thatched-roof farmhouse nestled in the remote Iya Valley of Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, this Edo-period minka was purchased and restored by American Japanologist Alex Kerr in 1973. Today it operates as an exclusive whole-house rental, offering guests an immersive experience in Japan's vanishing rural heritage.

The Main Hall of Tsubaki Hachiman Shrine in Anan City, Tokushima Prefecture, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1856. Despite its compact 4.7 m² footprint, this late Edo-period shrine showcases remarkably sophisticated craftsmanship including elaborate bracket complexes with diagonal tail rafters, double rainbow-beam gable ornamentation, and dense sculptural decoration. Located in a tranquil coastal village near Gamoda Cape, the easternmost point of Shikoku.

Discover Hiuradō, a registered cultural property built in 1788 in Tsurugi Town, Tokushima. The 26th station of the Haba-Shikoku miniature pilgrimage offers serene mountain views, ornate carvings, and centuries of folk faith.

Set within the precinct of Manpukuji, a Koyasan Shingon temple deep in the mountains of Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture, the Manpukuji Storehouse is a finely preserved two-story earthen-walled (dozō-zukuri) building from the late Edo period. Its carefully applied white plaster and rare 'pine fin' gable ornament reveal the craftsmanship of provincial Japan, and the small structure has been registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan since 2005. We introduce this hidden architectural gem along with the spectacular natural scenery that surrounds it.

Tucked within an 800-year-old Shingon temple in Naka Town, the Manpuku-ji Bell Tower is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Explore its history, serene setting, and the surrounding natural wonders of rural Tokushima.

Discover the Renkoji Temple Sanmon Gate in Ishii, Tokushima Prefecture—a nationally registered tangible cultural property blending Zen and Japanese architectural styles from the late Edo period.

Ōsaki Shrine in Moka City, Tochigi Prefecture, is a venerable Engishiki-listed shrine with over 1,500 years of history. Dedicated to the gods of fortune Daikoku and Ebisu, its Main Hall (1707) and Worship Hall (late 17th century) feature extraordinary polychrome carvings by master sculptor Shimamura Entetsu, designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 2018. The shrine represents a pioneering stage in the development of ornate decorative shrine architecture in northern Kantō.

The Taiyuin Mausoleum at Rinnoji Temple in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, is the final resting place of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, completed in 1653. Comprising a National Treasure–designated main hall and over twenty Important Cultural Properties, the complex forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Shrines and Temples of Nikko. Discover its dignified gold-and-black lacquer interiors, dragon ceiling paintings by master artist Kano Tan'yū, and the transformative experience of ascending through five magnificent gates toward the sacred inner sanctum.

Japan's only Special Historic Site and Special Natural Monument, this Guinness-record cedar avenue near Nikko was donated to Tōshōgū in 1648 by Matsudaira Masatsuna.

From the late Edo period, the Iizuka main residence front gate is the compound's oldest structure. The main house is gone, but this large munamon gate survives.

The Daiichi Shuzo Sake Brewery Storehouse in Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture, is the historic core of Tochigi's oldest sake brewery, founded in 1673. Registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property in 2016, this massive earthen-wall storehouse spans 39 meters with a total area of 818 square meters, preserving the brewery landscape from the late Edo period. Discover the home of the celebrated Kaika brand, where over 350 years of integrated farming and brewing tradition continue to thrive.

The Tanami Residence main house, by the Uzuma River in Oyama, Tochigi, is a large late-Edo farmhouse with a hipped tile roof and six-room plan. Registered 2014; private.

The Tanami Residence detached wing in Oyama, Tochigi is a late-Edo reception building with an alcove, display shelves, and a writing bay. Registered 2014; private.

The Tanuma Residence main house in Ashikaga was a village headman's home of mid-Edo origin, remodeled around 1894 into its tiled, gabled form. Registered 2006; private.

The Shoin at Okadera Temple in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property dating to the late Momoyama to early Edo period. This rare surviving example of shoin-zukuri architecture uniquely combines a formal reception hall with domestic kitchen space under one roof, offering invaluable insight into Momoyama-period temple architecture.

The Kikuya Family Residence in Tsukigase, Nara, is a small thatched farmhouse built around 1700, preserving a three-room plan once common across the Kinai region.

Head temple of the Shingon Risshū sect, rebuilt 1798–1808 with all-timber plank walls — a rare construction earning Important Cultural Property status in 1998.