Nara

Todaiji's Tegaimon Gate, a Nara-period eight-legged gate that escaped the fires of 1180 and 1567: its Kamakura repair, double tie-beam gables and free access.

The Hokkedo (Sangatsudo), Todaiji's oldest building: a c.747 main hall joined to a 1199 worship hall under one roof, its Tenpyo statues, hours, fees and photo rules.

Todaiji's Honbo Sutra Repository, a Nara-period azekura of triangular logs and the largest of three such storehouses, moved in the 1710s; its structure and access.

The Horyuji Temple Sutra Repository, a Nara-period National Treasure, is the oldest two-level building of its type. Its beams, open upper floor and image of Kanroku.

The Horyuji Temple Refectory and Hosodono, two National Treasure halls, pair a Nara-period refectory with a Kamakura front hall, preserving the old twin-hall form.

The Horyuji Temple Eastern Precinct Denpodo Hall, a National Treasure, is a Nara-period noble house rebuilt as a lecture hall, the only Nara residence left standing.

The Horyuji Temple Eastern Precinct Yumedono Hall, a Nara-period octagon on the site of Ikaruga Palace, houses the hidden Kuse Kannon. Its 1230 remodel and showings.

The Horyuji Temple Great East Gate, a Nara-period National Treasure between the two precincts, was moved from a south-facing site and keeps a three-ridge-beam roof.

The Horyuji Temple East Dormitory, a Nara-period National Treasure, is a monks' residence whose southern end became the Shoryoin; two rooms show its original layout.

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.

An eighth-century box owned by Todaiji in Nara, a National Treasure since 1959, painted with flowers and birds and finished with clear oil in the yushoku technique.

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.