Momoyama

Discover Bussho-ji Main Hall (Hakkaku-do), a rare octagonal Buddhist temple built in 1585 and designated as a National Important Cultural Property. Located in Mito, Ibaraki, this unique Tendai temple features Zen-style architecture and a beautifully restored thatched roof.

Rebuilt in 1612, the Okamaden at Kibitsu Shrine hosts the narukama rite, a fortune read from the sound of a heated cauldron. It was designated in 1980.

Rebuilt in 1581 by the Hida warlord Mitsuki Yoritsuna, this Important Cultural Property in Gero, Gifu, is known for the water-summoning carp carved into its eaves.

A National Historic Site in Gifu, this mountain castle was held by three Mori brothers, including the famous page Ranmaru, until its deliberate dismantling in 1601.

Discover the Important Cultural Property ceramics excavated from the Motoyashiki kiln site in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture. Explore exquisite Oribe, Shino, Ki-Seto, and Seto-Guro wares that reveal the golden age of Japanese tea ceremony ceramics.

Preserved at Entoku-ji Temple in Gifu City, the Rakuichi-Rakuza Seisatsu is a set of four original wooden placards (with one attached) issued by Oda Nobunaga and the Ikeda lords between 1567 and 1584. Posted at the gate of the Kanō market just after Nobunaga renamed Inabayama Castle to Gifu, they survive in remarkable physical form. Designated a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 1993, they are a primary source at the heart of Japan's economic history.

A pair of stone komainu at Hiyoshi Shrine in Gōdo, Gifu, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Donated in 1577 by the Sengoku warlord Fuwa Mitsuharu and carved from the famed blue-green Shakudani stone of Echizen, this slender, inscribed pair is a masterpiece of Momoyama-era sculpture.

Discover the Kanchi-in Guest Hall (Kyakuden), a National Treasure within the UNESCO World Heritage Toji Temple complex in Kyoto. Explore Momoyama-era shoin architecture, ink paintings attributed to Miyamoto Musashi, and serene Zen gardens.

Rebuilt in 1603 by Toyotomi Hideyori, the National Treasure Kondo at To-ji fuses Japanese, Zen and Great Buddha styles and holds a 2.88-meter seated Yakushi triad.

At Kyoto's Tō-ji, the East Great Gate has stayed shut for centuries. Called the Akazu-mon, it was barred by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336 and still bears arrow marks.

To-ji's widest gate was not built for it. Raised in 1601 as Sanjusangen-do's west gate by Toyotomi Hideyori, it moved here in 1895, an Important Cultural Property.

Discover the Otamaya at Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto, an Important Cultural Property built in 1605. Marvel at the stunning Kodaiji Makie lacquerware, explore the mausoleum of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his wife Nene, and experience the splendor of Momoyama-period art and architecture.

Discover Koubai-in Main Hall, an Important Cultural Property within Kyoto's Myoshin-ji Temple complex. Built in 1604, this exquisite Zen hojo-style hall features a karesansui garden, historic fusuma paintings, and deep ties to the reviver of one of Japan's greatest Zen temples.

Discover the Sanbo-in Karamon Gate, a National Treasure at UNESCO World Heritage Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Built in 1599, this stunning black-lacquered gate with gold chrysanthemum and paulownia crests embodies the grandeur of the Momoyama period and the legacy of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's famous cherry blossom viewing.

Explore the Sanbo-in Hall Complex (Important Cultural Property) at the UNESCO World Heritage Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. Discover the Goma-do, Shinden, Junjo-kan, and other magnificent Momoyama-period buildings connected to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's legendary cherry blossom viewing party.

The Main Hall of Shōden-ji in northern Kyoto is an Important Cultural Property originally built as the formal reception hall of Fushimi Castle during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Discover its Kanō Sanraku sliding-door paintings, the haunting blood ceiling from the Battle of Fushimi, and the celebrated dry landscape garden with borrowed scenery of Mount Hiei.

Discover the Yorinoan Shoin of Jodoin, an Important Cultural Property relocated from Fushimi Castle, featuring Kano school paintings and a refined dry landscape garden inside the World Heritage Byodoin Temple grounds in Uji, Kyoto.

Explore the Daishi-dō at Jingoji Temple in Kyoto, an Important Cultural Property hall built on the site of Kūkai's personal residence. Discover its Momoyama-period architecture, the rare board-carved statue of Kōbō Daishi, and the stunning autumn foliage of the Takao area.

Explore the Shinjuan Kuri, an Important Cultural Property built in 1609 within Kyoto's Daitoku-ji temple complex. This early Edo-period Zen kitchen is part of the sub-temple founded by the legendary monk Ikkyu Sojun.

A large, richly carved Momoyama four-legged gate crowning Sennyū-ji. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 1966, it opens onto a downhill path to the Buddha Hall.