Nara

The Higashimuro (East Monks' Quarters) at Hōryū-ji Temple is a Nara-period monks' dormitory designated as a National Treasure of Japan. Standing east of the western cloister, this rare surviving example of ancient monastic residential architecture features simple yet refined construction, with foundation stones and pillars that may date back to the 7th-century founding of the temple. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area.'

Built in 730, the East Pagoda is Yakushi-ji's only original building and the oldest in old Heijo-kyo, three stories under six roofs and a celestial finial.

Discover the Kachō Saie Yushoku-bako, a stunning Nara-period wooden box designated as a National Treasure of Japan. Owned by Tōdai-ji in Nara, this 8th-century masterpiece features vivid paintings of phoenixes, parrots, and floral motifs created with the rare oil-color technique from Tang Dynasty China.

Enshrined in the National Treasure Hall of Kōfuku-ji in Nara, the Dry-Lacquer Standing Statues of the Ten Great Disciples were created in 734 for the Western Golden Hall commissioned by Empress Kōmyō in memory of her mother. Six of the original ten figures survive, all designated National Treasures. Celebrated for their deeply human expressions and the delicate play of drapery, they represent the pinnacle of Tenpyō-era realism and endure as one of the rare masterpieces of hollow-core dry-lacquer sculpture.

The Seated Dry-Lacquer Rushana Buddha enshrined in the Golden Hall of Tōshōdai-ji in Nara is a late eighth-century masterpiece of the hollow dry-lacquer tradition and a National Treasure closely tied to the legacy of the Chinese monk Ganjin. Towering over three metres in height (five metres with the mandorla), this cosmic Buddha embodies the worldview of the Brahma Net Sutra and stands as one of the supreme achievements of Tenpyō-period Buddhist art within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ancient Nara.

The Kengu-kyō, Volume 15 (442 lines), a National Treasure held by Tōdai-ji, is a supreme example of Nara-period large-character sutra writing known as Ōjōmu. Brushed on luxurious dabishi paper in bold, dignified script, this rare surviving scroll has been treasured for over a millennium. Discover its history, cultural value, and highlights.

Woven in Tang-dynasty China in a Persian style, this Hōryū-ji National Treasure silk shows four winged-horse riders turning to shoot lions inside beaded roundels.

Preserved at Shōryaku-ji in the wooded hills of Nara, the Ekottarika-āgama Volume 30, known as the Zenkō Vermilion Seal Sutra, is an Important Cultural Property dating to around 759 CE. One of about thirty surviving scrolls from a canon-copying project sponsored by the nun Zenkō of Hokke-ji, it preserves both eighth-century calligraphy at its finest and detailed colophons that document Nara-period sutra production. This article also introduces Shōryaku-ji's millennium of history, its famed maple-lined valley, and its heritage as the birthplace of refined sake brewing in Japan.

A National Treasure: a Southern Song edition of Ouyang Xiu's works, edited by Zhou Bida, once in the medieval Kanazawa Bunko library and nearly complete at Tenri.

Discover the Song Edition of Liu Mengde's Collected Works, a National Treasure held at Tenri University Library in Nara. Printed in 12th-century China, brought to Japan by Zen master Eisai, and once admired by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, this rare printed book offers a remarkable glimpse into the literary exchange between Tang China and medieval Japan.

The clay-sculpted Four Heavenly Kings of Tōdai-ji's Kaidan-dō, designated National Treasures in 1952, are widely regarded as the supreme achievement of Tenpyō-era Buddhist sculpture. Created in the mid-8th century and standing at the four corners of the hall's altar, they have captivated visitors for more than twelve centuries. This guide explores their history, their connection to the monk Ganjin, and what to look for when you visit.

Inside Horyu-ji's Five-Story Pagoda, four clay tableaux finished in 711 stage Buddhist scenes, among them the celebrated weeping mourners of the Buddha's nirvana.

Two pale Nara-period clay statues from Tōdai-ji's Lotus Hall. Called Sunlight and Moonlight, they may in fact be Brahma and Indra. Now in the Tōdai-ji Museum.

The Bronze Ablution Basin of Todaiji, a National Treasure from the 8th-century Nara period, measures about 89.2 cm across — one of the largest surviving examples of its kind. Likely created for the 752 CE Great Buddha Eye-opening Ceremony, it held the baby Buddha figure during Flower Festival rituals at Todaiji.

At Yakushiji in Nara, a small eighth-century painting on hemp shows Kichijoten, goddess of fortune, raising a flaming jewel. It is shown only days each January.

The Kōdōji Temple Ruins in Mihama, Fukui mark a temple a local clan founded in the late 7th century, traced by excavation from founding to abandonment around 900.

Explore the Nagato Province Coin-Casting Artifacts, Important Cultural Properties from Japan's Nara period. These coin molds, crucibles, and bellows nozzles from the Nagato Mint reveal the origins of Wadō Kaichin, Japan's first official currency.

At Kobe's Hakutsuru Museum, the National Treasure Daishomu is two Nara-period scrolls of the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, brushed in unusually large script.

A National Treasure at Kobe's Hakutsuru Museum: seventy-one scrolls of Nirvana Sutra commentary, fifty-four copied in Tang China, the rest later Japanese additions.

A mid-8th-century copy of the ten-scroll Sutra of Golden Light packed into two scrolls in tiny characters. A Kōyasan National Treasure with rare reading marks.