Momoyama

The Kuri of Myohoin Temple in Kyoto's Higashiyama district is one of Japan's largest temple kitchen buildings, constructed around 1595 during the Momoyama period. Designated a National Treasure, this monumental structure is said to have been used to prepare meals for Toyotomi Hideyoshi's grand Thousand Monks Memorial Ceremony. It is renowned for its rare hipped-and-gabled roof and spectacular soot-blackened timber framework, standing as a symbol of the prestigious Tendai monzeki temple that still administers Sanjusangendo today.

Discover Saijosho Taigenkyū, an Important Cultural Property at Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto. This extraordinary octagonal shrine, built in 1601, enshrines all 3,132 deities of Japan and embodies the philosophy of Yoshida Shinto. Open on special days only.

Discover the Haiden (worship hall) of Yodo Shrine in Kyoto's Fushimi district — a 1607 masterpiece built under Toyotomi Hideyori, designated as an Important Cultural Property. Explore its Momoyama-period architecture, history tied to the Katsura River, and the Yodo Castle ruins.

Ryoanji's Main Hall is a 1606 hojo, an Important Cultural Property moved here after fire. From its veranda you view the famous fifteen-stone dry rock garden.

Ryōgin-an's front gate at Tōfuku-ji, Kyoto: a small Momoyama-period Important Cultural Property fronting the 1387 hōjō, Japan's oldest surviving abbot's quarters.

The kitchen of Ryogin-an at Tofuku-ji, Kyoto, raised in 1603 and now an Important Cultural Property. A rare Zen temple kitchen surviving close to its original form.

Built in 1608 for strategist Kuroda Kanbei, this Zen hall at Kyoto's Ryukoin holds his and his wife's stone tombs. The temple is closed, so we suggest nearby sites.

Kept at Myoshin-ji in Kyoto, this miniature armor, helmet, and saddle were made for Sutemaru, the infant son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who died at age two in 1591.

Discover the Important Cultural Property 'Letter by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Dated April 13),' an ink-on-paper correspondence revealing the personal voice of Japan's legendary warlord who unified the nation in the 16th century.

The Sumiyoshi Maki-e Desk, an Important Cultural Property owned by Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto, is a magnificent lacquerware piece produced from the Momoyama to early Edo period. Its gold maki-e designs depict pines within the sacred precincts of Sumiyoshi Shrine accompanied by waka poetry — a sophisticated utae (picture-poetry) tradition. Currently on loan to the Kyoto National Museum, it is exhibited periodically during special exhibitions.

The National Treasure 'Letter from the Portuguese Viceroy of India' at Myōhō-in Temple in Kyoto is a diplomatic letter written on parchment in 1588 by Duarte de Menezes, Portuguese Viceroy in Goa, addressed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Adorned with oil miniature paintings and gold lettering, it was presented at Jurakudai Palace in 1591. As one of the rarest European-origin diplomatic documents preserved in Japan, it offers an extraordinary window into the Age of Discovery and early Japan-Europe relations.

Discover the National Treasure wall painting "Pine Trees and Flowers on Gold Ground" by Hasegawa Tohaku at Chishaku-in temple in Kyoto. Learn about its Momoyama-era splendor, the dramatic story of the Hasegawa school, and how to visit this masterpiece.

Discover the National Treasure wall paintings "Cherry Blossoms and Maple Trees" (Ōfū-zu) by Hasegawa Tōhaku and his son Kyūzō at Chishaku-in Temple in Kyoto. Learn about their Momoyama-period gold-leaf splendor, the moving father-son story, and how to visit the newly opened Treasure Hall.

The National Treasure 'Pine and Plum Blossoms on Gold Paper' at Chishaku-in Temple in Kyoto is a masterpiece of Momoyama-period barrier painting by the Hasegawa Tohaku school. Originally created for Shōun-ji Temple, commissioned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to memorialize his young son, these four resplendent fusuma panels feature pine and plum motifs on luminous gold leaf. Surviving over 400 years of fires and upheaval, they can be viewed at the temple's Treasure Hall, opened in 2023.

Discover the National Treasure painting "Pine Tree with Sunset Hibiscus and Chrysanthemums" by Momoyama master Hasegawa Tōhaku at Chishaku-in Temple, Kyoto. Explore its rich history, hidden political allegory, and visitor guide.

Thirteen Edo-period turrets, a gate and a long wall at Kumamoto Castle were designated in 1933. The concrete keep is a 1960 rebuild. Closed after the 2026 quake.

On a Kagawa hilltop that was once Nio Castle stands Kakujoin's two-storied bell tower, a Momoyama work with a flared hakamagoshi base, still rung each New Year.

A vermilion two-storied gate of the Momoyama period beside Saga Castle's moat. Why it carries two designation dates, and the 1603 torii and 1606 bridge before it.

Chinjudo Hall at Kozoji Temple in Toba City, Mie Prefecture, is a small shrine hall rebuilt in 1605 in the nagare-zukuri style with a kokera-buki roof. Enshrining Kishimojin, the Buddhist guardian of children, it is designated as a nationally Important Cultural Property as one of the rare surviving Momoyama-period structures in the Ise-Shima region. Discover the history and architecture of this hidden mountain temple connected to the legendary Kuki naval clan.

Discover the Main Hall of Kinbo Shrine, an Important Cultural Property perched atop Mt. Kinbo in Tsuruoka, Yamagata. Built in 1608, this rare Shugendo heritage site preserves Momoyama-era architecture amid sacred mountain trails and panoramic views of the Shonai Plain.