Muromachi

Discover Akabuchi Shrine Main Hall in Asago, Hyogo—a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in the early Muromachi period (c. 1381–1427). Explore its refined sanken-sha nagare-zukuri architecture, the legend of abalones that saved an ancestor's ship from Silla raiders, and its peaceful setting near the famous Takeda Castle ruins.

Standing quietly amid the sake-rice fields of Yoshikawa in Miki City, Hyogo, the Main Hall of Amatsu Shrine was built in 1492 during the late Muromachi period and has been preserved ever since through successive cycles of careful restoration. Designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1926, the hall showcases a distinctive regional form of shrine architecture — a hip-and-gable (irimoya) roof with gable-side entry, an integrated one-bay front canopy, double-layered close-set rafters, and traditional cypress-bark shingles. A recent restoration faithfully revived the original Kanbun-era (1661–1672) paintwork. Paired naturally with the Yamada-nishiki sake museum and Yoshikawa's carbonated hot springs, it offers international visitors a rare and tranquil encounter with authentic medieval Japanese craftsmanship.

The three-storied pagoda of Ikarugadera in Taishi, Hyogo, a three-bay pagoda of 1565 with tiled roofs, was designated in 1928 and is an Important Cultural Property.

The Ichijoji Temple Benten-do Hall in Kasai, Hyogo, an Important Cultural Property since 1913, is a mid-Muromachi shrine of unusual form with fine carving.

The Main Hall of Inari Shrine in Tomioka, Yoshikawa-cho, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1546 (late Muromachi period). This compact single-bay structure in the sumiki-iri Kasuga-zukuri style was crafted by master carpenters from Todaiji Temple in Nara. Enclosed within a protective cover house for nearly five centuries, it has survived in remarkable condition, preserving rare painted frog-leg struts and regional late-Muromachi detailing. Discover this hidden architectural gem in Japan's celebrated sake rice heartland.

The mortuary precinct of the founder Shoku in the western valley of Mount Shosha. Four buildings, two designated in 1955 and two added to the listing in 2014.

A small square chapel south of the Mitsunodo, built in 1544 for the sub-temple Fugen-in and designated in 1913. Its brackets and struts preserve late Muromachi work.

The long hall closing the west end of the Mitsunodo court, forty metres of two full storeys, designated in 1955 and open inside for sutra copying and treasures.

A meditation hall on the south side of the Mitsunodo court, with a green room and a projecting stage built for offering dance to the hall opposite. Designated 1955.

A bell tower on rising ground north of the Mitsunodo, with a flared boarded skirt and bracketed cornice, designated in 1913. Its construction date remains disputed.

The main hall of Engyoji, facing the raked sand court of the Mitsunodo. Its lower storey dates to 1440 and its upper to 1462, and it was designated in 1913.

Built in 1406 for the temple guardian deity, the Gyoja Hall at Kakurinji in Kakogawa joins a Kasuga-style shrine front to a hip-and-gable rear under clay tiles.

The Goma Hall at Kakurinji in Kakogawa, built in 1563, is a square hip-and-gable hall without brackets, Wayo outside and Zen style inside, and the youngest on site.

Built in 1407, the Bell Tower at Kakurinji in Kakogawa has a skirt-like hakamagoshi base and holds a Goryeo-dynasty Korean bell, normally rung only on New Year Eve.

Kakurinji Main Hall in Kakogawa, dated 1397, is a National Treasure that blends Wayo with Zen and Daibutsuyo details. What to look for under its eaves and inside it.

Kangiin Shotendo in Miki, Hyogo, is a small 1411 cypress-bark shrine hall, the city's oldest, an Important Cultural Property noted for its rare veranda bracketing.

The main hall of Kukuhi Shrine in Toyooka, Hyogo, a three-bay nagare hall of 1507, is unusually lively for a shrine, with many frog-leg struts and rich gables.

Jodoji's Yakushi Hall in Ono, rebuilt in 1517, faces the Jodo-do across the court and mixes Daibutsu, wayo and karayo styles, from katomado windows to its ceiling.

Takameu Shrine Main Hall in Sanda, Hyogo, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property rebuilt in 1513 during the late Muromachi period. This single-bay nagare-zukuri sanctuary, crowned with a hiwadabuki cypress-bark roof, displays exquisite floral carvings throughout, and houses a Kamakura-period wooden komainu pair from 1297, also a national Important Cultural Property.

The Main Hall of Rokuyasan Chōkō-ji in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, is an early Muromachi-period esoteric Buddhist hall built in 1413. Designated a National Treasure in 1954, this dignified seven-bay-square structure exemplifies the eclectic Setchūyō style and stands amid forested grounds beside the Tsukubane Falls.