Kamakura
鎌倉Browse Japan’s cultural heritage from the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333). Filter by prefecture, type, and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
A Kamakura-period wooden Tamonten at Henjoko-in on Mount Koya, an armored guardian of the north holding a pagoda and halberd above a subdued demon underfoot.
Six of the eight wooden youths attending Fudō Myōō on Mount Kōya are National Treasures attributed to Unkei, prized for their crystal eyes and individual faces.
A Kamakura-period statue of Fudō Myōō on Mount Kōya, the 'United Fudō,' owned by Kongōbu-ji and made an Important Cultural Property in 1925, now at the Reihōkan.
A portrait sculpture of Hotto Kokushi, founder of Kokokuji in Yura, dated 1286. A realistic Kamakura chinso kept as a temple treasure, not on permanent view.
A Kamakura sea-crossing Monju group at Henmyoin on Mount Koya: the lion-mounted bodhisattva with four attendants. Held by the Reihokan, shown in rotating displays.
A Kamakura standing Jikokuten at Henjokoin on Mount Koya, guardian of the east, an armoured warrior on a demon. Held by the Reihokan, shown in rotating displays.
Five seated Buddhas have sat inside Kōyasan's oldest building since 1223. Discover the Kamakura sculpture, the nun-shogun who raised the tower, and when it opens.
A National Treasure of Japan, the Wang Bo Collection Volume 28 is the world's oldest surviving manuscript of poetry by Tang-dynasty prodigy Wang Bo (649-676). Brought to Japan via the Kentōshi missions and once preserved at Kōfuku-ji Temple in Nara, this remarkable scroll preserves verses lost in China for over a thousand years.
An unsigned 65.6 cm Kamakura katana attributed to the Ichimonji master Sukezane, named an Important Cultural Property for its bold clove-pattern temper line.
A Kamakura katana attributed to Rai-school smith Niji-Kunitoshi, unsigned after shortening, now listed by Japan among designated treasures that have gone missing.