Muromachi

At To-ji's northwest corner, the Mieido is a National Treasure that began as Kukai's residence. Rebuilt in 1380, it holds a daily 6 a.m. rite and is free to enter.

Myōshin-ji's oldest subtemple holds the Kaisandō, or Mishōan, a mid-Muromachi Zen-style hall moved from Tōfuku-ji in 1537 to honor its founder, Kanzan Egen.

At Gyokuhōin, Myōshin-ji's oldest sub-temple, a cypress-bark gate fronts the founder's hall. Tradition dates it to 1409, among Japan's oldest surviving karamon.

Discover Sagara Shrine Main Hall (Saganaka Jinja Honden), an Important Cultural Property from the early Muromachi period in Kizugawa City, Kyoto. Explore its exquisite Nagare-zukuri architecture, ancient rituals, and timeless beauty.

The Main Hall of Saguri Shrine in Kumiyama Town, Kyoto, is an Important Cultural Property built in 1494 during the late Muromachi period. This three-bay flowing-style structure with a cypress bark roof features exquisite carvings of flowers, birds, deer, and squirrels among grapevines, and its brilliant polychrome decoration was restored in the 1980s to reveal the dazzling colors of medieval shrine architecture.

The octagonal, vermilion Sanshōji Aizen-dō rises beyond the Tsūten-kyō at Kyoto's Tōfuku-ji. This rare early-Muromachi hall enshrines the love-deity Aizen Myō-ō.

The Togudo at Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) in Kyoto is a National Treasure built in 1486 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Its Dojinsai study room is the oldest surviving example of shoin-zukuri architecture, the residential style that shaped Japanese homes for centuries. Discover the birthplace of Higashiyama culture, tea room design, and the refined aesthetic of wabi-sabi during special spring and autumn viewings.

Built in 1502, this three-bay hall is Fukuchiyama's oldest building. An ink inscription dated it, while excavation found pits where fires burned beneath its gods.

The Honden of Juhachi Shrine, located within the grounds of Mimurodo-ji Temple in Uji, Kyoto, is a Muromachi-period sanctuary rebuilt in 1487. Designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, this three-bay nagare-zukuri shrine preserves over five centuries of architectural heritage as the guardian shrine of one of Kyoto's most beloved flower temples.

Built in 1406, the main hall of Shindō-ji in southern Kyoto is an Important Cultural Property and the heart of a Shugendō mountain temple, housing a 2.7-meter Zaō Gongen image carved in the Muromachi period.

Zuihō-in's gate at Daitoku-ji, raised 1536-1555 for Christian daimyo Ōtomo Sōrin's Zen temple. A rare late-Muromachi munemon with original cypress-bark roof.

The main hall of Zuihō-in, a sub-temple of Kyoto's Daitoku-ji, was built between 1536 and 1555 by the Christian daimyō Ōtomo Sōrin's order. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 1962, it is one of the finest surviving examples of late-Muromachi hōjō architecture in Kyoto.

One of a pair of seamless stone stupas, or muhōtō, standing north of the Founder's Hall at Sennyū-ji. Both date to the early Muromachi period and were designated in 1955.

One of two seamless stone stupas north of the Founder's Hall at Sennyū-ji, the imperial temple. Both date to the early Muromachi period and were designated in 1955.

Discover Daigoji Seiryugu Haiden, a National Treasure worship hall built in 1434 on the sacred slopes of Kami-Daigo in Kyoto. This Muromachi-period masterpiece blends shinden-zukuri elegance with dramatic kake-zukuri cliff construction within a UNESCO World Heritage temple complex.

In lower Daigo, beside the pagoda, the Seiryū-gū Honden enshrines Daigoji's guardian deity. Rebuilt in 1517, it differs from the National Treasure hall on the summit.

Discover Daisen-in Hondo, a National Treasure at Daitoku-ji in Kyoto. Built in 1513, this Zen temple features Japan's oldest tokonoma alcove, a stunning karesansui garden, and masterwork screen paintings from the Muromachi period.

Rebuilt in 1530, Chion-in's Seishi-dō is the oldest building at this Kyoto temple. It stands where Pure Land founder Hōnen died and survived the 1633 fire.

Tenmangu Honden in Wazuka Town, Kyoto Prefecture, is an Important Cultural Property rebuilt in 1348 during the Nanbokucho period. This main hall clearly preserves the architectural characteristics of the early Muromachi period. Visit this medieval shrine set amid the stunning tea field landscapes of Wazuka, known as the 'Tea Paradise' of Kyoto.

Discover the Niomon Gate of Bujo-ji Temple, a 14th-century Important Cultural Property hidden deep in Kyoto's Kitayama mountains. This eight-legged shingled gate marks the entrance to one of Japan's most sacred Shugendo training grounds.