Heian

Discover the National Treasure Wooden Seated Goddess Statues at Tō-ji Temple (Kyōōgokoku-ji) in Kyoto. These 9th-century Heian-period sculptures are among Japan's oldest surviving Shinto deity carvings, reflecting the fascinating fusion of Buddhism and Shinto known as shinbutsu-shūgō.

Sanjusangen-do's 1,001 standing Thousand-Armed Kannon include 124 Heian figures saved from the 1249 fire. The full set became a National Treasure in 2018.

A ninth-century National Treasure at Koryu-ji, this 266 cm Thousand-Armed Kannon was carved from a single cypress block and shows eleven faces and forty arms.

Near Tofuku-ji in Kyoto, Hosho-ji keeps a National Treasure Senju Kannon of the tenth century, cut from one cherry block, bearing some twenty-seven faces.

At Kyoto's To-ji, the seated image of Hachiman as a Buddhist monk is among Japan's oldest surviving Shinto deity sculptures, a record of how the two faiths merged.

A Heian National Treasure, the wooden canopy of Tō-ji hangs above a secret Fudō Myōō in the Mieidō. Unseen by the public, it is one of few ranked as sculpture.

Over the gilded Amida in Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall hangs a 1053 National Treasure: a shell-inlaid black-lacquer square canopy holding an openwork floral round canopy.

Tobatsu Bishamonten at Kyoto's To-ji, a Tang-dynasty National Treasure that once guarded Rashomon gate. The 189.4 cm figure stands on the palms of the earth goddess.

At Kurama-dera above Kyoto stands Japan's oldest Bishamonten triad, a National Treasure whose central guardian lifts a hand to his brow and gazes toward the capital.

A 313.6 cm Fukūkenjaku Kannon at Kōryū-ji, Kyoto's oldest temple. Three eyes, eight arms, carved from one block, it survived the 818 fire and stands in the Reihōden.

A ninth-century National Treasure no one is allowed to see: the secret Fudō Myōō hidden in Tō-ji's Mieidō, held by tradition to be Kūkai's own devotional image.

At Hōbodai-in Gantoku-ji in Kyoto's western hills stands an 88-cm Heian bodhisattva in half-lotus, a National Treasure of kaya wood whose identity scholars debate.

Two of the twenty-one statues in Tōji's three-dimensional mandala, the four-faced Bonten and the elephant-riding Taishakuten are ninth-century National Treasures.

Daigo-ji's National Treasure Yakushi triad: a 177cm tenth-century Medicine Buddha with a gourd jar and seven-Buddha halo, now displayed at the Reihōkan museum.

Carved in 33 days in 1103 for a prince-monk of Ninna-ji, this 11-cm sandalwood Yakushi is the sole surviving work of Ensei and Choen, founders of the Enpa school.

At Jingo-ji in Takao, Kyoto, this National Treasure Yakushi Nyorai stands about 170.6 cm, carved from a single block of kaya wood, with a stern early-Heian face.

The National Treasure 'Rigen Daishi Handwritten Disposition' preserved at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto is an official document written in 907 CE by the temple's founder, the monk Shōbō (Rigen Daishi). Recording the transfer of temple management to a senior disciple in his final years, this single handscroll is an exceptionally rare example of early Heian-period calligraphy and a vital primary source for the history of Japanese Buddhism. It is periodically displayed at Daigo-ji's Reihōkan Museum and in special exhibitions at major museums across Japan.

Discover the Rimōhitsu Hōken Hyō, a National Treasure document attributed to Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. This 9th-century calligraphy masterpiece records the presentation of tanuki-hair brushes to Emperor Saga, revealing the origins of Japanese brush-making culture.

Discover the Ruijū Utaawase, a National Treasure anthology of over 200 Heian-period poetry competitions preserved at Yōmei Bunko in Kyoto. Explore its literary significance, exquisite calligraphy, and the aristocratic world of waka poetry contests.

Discover Ruijū Koshū, a National Treasure at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. This unique Heian-period manuscript is the sole surviving copy of the first thematic reorganization of Japan's oldest poetry anthology, the Man'yōshū.