Heian

平安

Browse Japan’s cultural heritage from the Heian period (794 – 1185). Filter by prefecture, type, and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.

3,530 total Heian Period 794 – 1185
Reset filters
Grid List
Showing 241 – 260 of 3,530
Wooden Standing Statue of Thousand-Armed Kannon
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Thousand-Armed Kannon

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.
Wooden Seated Statue of Hachiman in the Form of a Monk
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Seated Statue of Hachiman in the Form of a Monk

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.
Wooden Canopy
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Canopy

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.
Wooden Canopy (located at Houou-Do)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Canopy (located at Houou-Do)

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.
Wooden Standing Statue of Tobatsu Bishamonten (in the Bishamondo)
Kyoto 唐
Wooden Standing Statue of Tobatsu Bishamonten (in the Bishamondo)

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.
Wooden Standing Statues of Bishamonten with Kichijoten and Zennishi Doji (in the Main Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statues of Bishamonten with Kichijoten and Zennishi Doji (in the Main Hall)

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.
Wooden Standing Statue of Fukukenjaku Kannon (in the Lecture Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Fukukenjaku Kannon (in the Lecture Hall)

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.
Wooden Seated Statue of Fudo Myoo (in the Mieido)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Seated Statue of Fudo Myoo (in the Mieido)

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.
Wooden Statue of a Bodhisattva Seated in Half-Lotus (traditionally identified as Nyoirin Kannon, in the Main Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Statue of a Bodhisattva Seated in Half-Lotus (traditionally identified as Nyoirin Kannon, in the Main Hall)

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.
Wooden Statues of Brahma (seated) and Indra (half Seated)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Statues of Brahma (seated) and Indra (half Seated)

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.
Wooden Statues of Yakushi Nyorai and His Two Attendants
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Statues of Yakushi Nyorai and His Two Attendants

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.
Wooden Seated Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (by Ensei and Choen; former principal image of the North Cloister)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Seated Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (by Ensei and Choen; former principal image of the North Cloister)

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.
Wooden Standing Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (in the Main Hall)
Kyoto 平安
Wooden Standing Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (in the Main Hall)

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.
Master Rigen's Handwritten Disposition
Kyoto 平安
Master Rigen's Handwritten Disposition

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.
Petition Presenting Badger-Hair Brushes (attributed to Kobo Daishi)
Kyoto 平安
Petition Presenting Badger-Hair Brushes (attributed to Kobo Daishi)

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.
Ruiju Poetry Group
Kyoto 平安
Ruiju Poetry Group

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.
Ruiju Koshu
Kyoto 平安
Ruiju Koshu

The only manuscript of the Ruiju Koshu, a classified edition of the Man'yoshu compiled by Fujiwara no Atsutaka, held by Ryukoku University, Kyoto; a National Treasure since 1953.
Wakansho Volume 2 (illustrated)
Kyoto 平安
Wakansho Volume 2 (illustrated)

The National Treasure Wakan-shō Gekan (Saisen), held at the Yōmei Bunko in Kyoto, is a surviving portion of the Wakan Rōeishū anthology transcribed on brilliantly decorated paper (saisen) with calligraphy attributed to Fujiwara no Yukinari, one of Heian Japan's Three Great Calligraphers. Discover the exquisite fusion of poetry, brushwork, and decorative paper arts from a thousand years ago.
Two World Mandalas in Gold and Silver on Purple Twill (Takao Mandala)
Kyoto 平安
Two World Mandalas in Gold and Silver on Purple Twill (Takao Mandala)

A pair of Heian Two World mandalas at Jingoji in Kyoto, drawn only in gold and silver on purple twill silk; the oldest large mandala, recovered by Mongaku in 1184.
Temple Bell
Shiga 平安
Temple Bell

A National Treasure cast in 858 on Mt. Hiei, this bell bears a dated mirror-script inscription and is Japan's sixth oldest dated bell, now at the Sagawa Art Museum.