Kamakura

Discover the Wooden Seated Statue of Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, a 14th-century Important Cultural Property at Kioji Temple in Inazawa, Aichi. This serene hidden Buddha, carved in 1361 with sutras sealed inside, is unveiled only once every 25 years.

A National Treasure dagger by Kyoto master Rai Kunitoshi, dated 1316 and made when he was about 76. Owned by Atsuta Jingu, it is shown at the Tokyo National Museum.

Tucked away behind the three-story pagoda of Ishiteji Temple in Matsuyama, the Karitei-mo-ten-do is a small but exquisite shrine designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Built in the late Kamakura period (1275-1332) in the rare ikkensha nagare-misedana style with a cypress bark roof, it is among the oldest shrine structures in Ehime Prefecture. Discover its enduring tradition of safe-childbirth prayers and architectural details that mirror the National Treasure Niomon Gate.

The Main Hall of Ishiteji Temple in Matsuyama, Ehime is a National Important Cultural Property dating from the late Kamakura period. As the 51st temple of the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage and only a short walk from Dōgo Onsen, it offers a rare combination of living pilgrimage culture and outstanding medieval Wayō-style architecture, alongside the National Treasure Niōmon Gate and other heritage buildings.

On the sacred island of Omishima in the Seto Inland Sea, three granite hokyoin-to pagodas from the late Kamakura period stand quietly in the precinct of Oyamazumi Shrine. The central tower is the largest in Shikoku, and the left tower carries the inscribed name of the Onomichi mason Nenshin. This guide introduces these Important Cultural Properties and the venerable shrine that surrounds them.

A granite Hōkyōintō stone pagoda from the late Kamakura period stands within the grounds of Kamei Hachiman Shrine on Uoshima, a remote fishing island in the Seto Inland Sea, Ehime Prefecture. Designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, this medieval stone tower exemplifies the artistry of Kamakura-era stone craft and carries a local legend connecting it to the Nanbokuchō warrior Shinozuka Iganokami. On this tiny island of about 110 residents, the pagoda has quietly watched over 700 years of history.

Discover the Jōzenji Stone Pagodas in Imabari, Ehime — a remarkable collection of 11 Important Cultural Property stone towers dating from the Kamakura to Nanbokuchō periods. Learn about their history, Buddhist significance, and how to visit this hidden gem near the Shimanami Kaido.

Discover the National Treasure main hall of Taisan-ji Temple, a magnificent Kamakura-period Buddhist building in Matsuyama. Temple 52 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, it houses rare secret Buddha statues and features a legendary origin story.

Discover Taihoji Main Hall, a National Treasure in Matsuyama, Ehime. This early Kamakura-period temple preserves rare late-Heian Amida hall architecture and houses Important Cultural Property Buddhist statues. Open annually on March 28.

Standing in the wooded grounds behind Noma Shrine in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, this 211 cm granite stone pagoda was created in 1322 by a man named Ki no Aruharu and his wife as a prayer for healing and longevity. Designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1954, it represents the distinctive regional Ochi-style and offers travelers a profound encounter with late Kamakura-period Buddhist art and devotion.

Discover the Kawazutsumi-no-tachi—a rare Important Cultural Property at Ōyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima Island. This treasure pairs an ancient signed blade by the Ko-Hōki-school smith Aritsuna with a battle-ready leather-wrapped mounting in yamagane fittings. Learn about its history, what to look for in person, and how to plan your visit to Japan's unparalleled storehouse of samurai arms.

This article introduces the Kuro-urushi Tachi, an unsigned slim tachi mounting designated as an Important Cultural Property and preserved at Ōyamazumi Shrine on Ōmishima Island, Ehime Prefecture. With an overall length of 99.8 cm, the Kamakura-period mounting features hemp-cloth wrapping coated in deep black lacquer, gilt-bronze fittings, and a distinctive balance-weight (fundō) shaped guard. It served for centuries as the symbolic sword bestowed at the succession ceremony of the Ōhafuri, the hereditary chief priestly family of one of Japan's most ancient and revered shrines. Designated in 1901, the sword embodies a rare, unbroken link between a cultural object and a living ritual tradition. The article covers the sword's craftsmanship, the reasons for its designation, its sacred role within the shrine, highlights of the treasure halls where it is preserved, and practical guidance for visitors traveling to Ōmishima via the famed Shimanami Kaidō.

Discover the Murasaki Aya Odoshi Yoroi, a rare National Treasure armor from the early Kamakura period, housed at Oyamazumi Shrine on Omishima Island, Ehime. Learn about its history, craftsmanship, and how to visit.

Tucked away in the rice fields of Saijo City, Ehime, the Wooden Seated Statue of Zen Master Buttsū at Hokoku-ji Temple is a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan. This 78.3 cm portrait sculpture of the Kamakura-period Zen master Chikotsu Daie, lovingly nicknamed Kurobotoke-san for its glossy black surface, even traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1970. Discover its history, artistic value, viewing tips, and nearby attractions.

Hidden in a wooded hollow at Fukusenji Temple in Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, this life-size standing Shakyamuni Buddha was carved in the late Kamakura period and designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1916. Its rope-coiled hair, exposed cypress finish, and concentric drapery follow the famous Seiryōji-style tradition tracing back through Song China to ancient Indian Gandhāran art. The statue is publicly opened once a year, on April 8.

Preserved at Muryōjuji Temple in Hokota City, Ibaraki, the Shūi Kotokuden is a colored picture scroll on paper composed by Kakunyo, third head priest of Hongan-ji. A surviving fragment from the 1608 fire, this Kamakura-period yamato-e was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1917.

Discover the Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku, a Kamakura-period handscroll designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan and preserved at Jōgūji temple in Naka City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Painted in the soft yamato-e tradition, the 7.39-metre scroll narrates the life of Prince Shōtoku in fourteen scenes and arrived at this rural temple as a gift from Honganji's Kennyo following the Ishiyama War.

Discover the Silk-Painted Biography of Prince Shōtoku, a set of four hanging scrolls designated as a National Important Cultural Property and held by Myōan-ji temple in Bandō City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Created during the Kamakura period to support the Pure Land mission in eastern Japan, this masterpiece depicts about seventy scenes from Prince Shōtoku's legendary life. Learn about its founding by Jōnen, a disciple of Shinran, the painting's iconographic highlights, where to see the faithful replica, visitor access, and surrounding pilgrimage sites.

Discover the National Treasure tachi forged by master swordsmith Nagamitsu of the Osafune School in Bizen Province. Housed at the Hayashibara Museum of Art in Okayama, this Kamakura-period masterpiece showcases the pinnacle of Japanese sword craftsmanship.

The National Treasure tachi signed Yoshifusa, held at the Hayashibara Museum of Art in Okayama, is a masterwork by the celebrated Kamakura-period swordsmith Yoshifusa of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school. Renowned for its dazzling chōji-midare tempering pattern and exceptional state of preservation, this blade is considered the most magnificent among Yoshifusa's surviving works. With a distinguished provenance from the Matsudaira family of Saijō Domain and accompanied by historical appraisal certificates from the Hon'ami family, it represents the pinnacle of Japanese sword artistry.