Muromachi
室町Browse Japan’s cultural heritage from the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573). Filter by prefecture, type, and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
The main hall of Matsuo Shrine in Shika, Ishikawa, a nagare-style hall of about 1559 kept in a shelter, is one of the few medieval buildings of Hokuriku.
The stone pagoda of Myosenji in Anamizu, Noto, from the early Muromachi period (1333 to 1392), copies a timber pagoda in stone; it was damaged in the 2024 quake.
The stone five-ring stupa at Yakuoin Temple in Yamashiro Onsen dates from the early Muromachi period and was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1957.
The Amida Hall of Saiganji in Ichihara, Chiba, a thatched hall built by Kamakura carpenters in 1495, was once gilded and known as the Shining Hall of Heizo.
The Front Gate of Jinya-ji near Mount Kano's summit in Chiba is an early-1500s Zen-style four-legged gate. Toppled by a 2019 typhoon, it was rebuilt by hand by 2021.
The Yakushido of Senpukuji in Inzai, Chiba, is a thatched hall of the late Muromachi period (1467 to 1572) mixing Japanese and Zen styles, key to medieval Kanto.
The Fudo Hall of Daishoji Temple in Isumi, Chiba, a thatched hall of the late Muromachi period, has been protected since 1916 as an Important Cultural Property.
The Hojuin Kannon Hall in Inzai, Chiba, built about 1563, is a small three-bay hall under a hipped thatched roof, designated an Important Cultural Property.
The Kannon Hall of Horaiji in Ichihara, Chiba, a hall of the late Muromachi period three bays square under a thatched hipped roof, was designated in 1931.
A four-legged gate at Hokekyo-ji built in the Zen-derived karayo style, with curved beams and carved eaves that date it to the Muromachi period. Designated 1916.
A pair of Yuan-dynasty folding screens of the sixteen arhats, attributed to Zhao of Ningbo and owned by Hokekyoji in Ichikawa; kept at the Tokyo National Museum.
Rare amber-glazed ceramic guardian lion-dogs from medieval Seto, barely 18 cm tall, kept at Katori Jingu in Chiba and made an Important Cultural Property in 1953.
Designated in 2023, Koami-ji's 20 gilt-bronze esoteric ritual implements bear the engraved name of the monk Shinkai, linking Awa and Kanazawa across Tokyo Bay.
Built in 1442 beside the Kashii River in Izumisano, Ogami Shrine's main hall is Osaka's oldest kasuga-style hall, with a rare karahafu gable over its front eaves.
The main hall of Katano Tenjin Shrine in Hirakata, Osaka, a nagare-style hall dated 1402 by its ridge tag, is with its neighbour the oldest building in the city.
The hall of the Hachiman sub-shrine at Katano Tenjin Shrine in Hirakata, Osaka, a mid-Muromachi nagare-style hall, is one of the oldest buildings in the city.
The Kariteimoten Hall of Kanshinji in Kawachinagano, Osaka, a one-bay kasuga-style shrine of 1549 with a cusped front gable, is the temple's guardian shrine.
The Tatekake Pagoda of Kanshinji in Kawachinagano, Osaka, built in 1502, stops at its first storey under a thatched pyramid roof, sturdy and fine in its timbers.
The Romon of Kyuan-ji in Ikeda, Osaka, is an early-15th-century temple gate and the oldest building on the grounds, mixing native wayo with Zen-style carving.
The stone hokyoin stupa at Kinzenji in Toyonaka, Osaka, made in 1349, is a three-tiered stone stupa that was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1961.