Shōwa

昭和

Browse Japan’s cultural heritage from the Shōwa period (1926 – 1989). Filter by prefecture, type, and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.

4,591 total Shōwa Period 1926 – 1989
Showing 301 – 320 of 4,591
Konkai-Komyoji Temple Goei-Do Hall
Kyoto 昭和前
Konkai-Komyoji Temple Goei-Do Hall

Kurodani's main hall enshrines a portrait of Honen at seventy-five. Rebuilt after a 1934 fire by Kyoto University's Amanuma Shunichi in revived Kamakura style.

Shimei Hall
Kyoto 昭和前
Shimei Hall

Kyoto's 1932 alumni hall for the Prefectural Normal School — Spanish-tile parapets, arched windows, and Art Deco round windows survive intact in northern Kyoto.

Taigaku Library
Kyoto 昭和前
Taigaku Library

Discover Taigaku Bunko, a 1928 reinforced-concrete archive building designed by renowned architect Goichi Takeda. Located within the former retreat of Meiji Restoration hero Iwakura Tomomi in northern Kyoto, this Registered Tangible Cultural Property houses precious historical artifacts from Japan's transformative era.

Daishoji Zangetsutei
Kyoto 昭和前
Daishoji Zangetsutei

Discover the Zangetsu-tei tea room at Daishoji Temple, a registered tangible cultural property built in 1938 within one of Kyoto's most prestigious imperial convent temples near the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Daishoji Temple High Wall
Kyoto 昭和前
Daishoji Temple High Wall

Discover the Takabei (high wall) of Daishoji Temple, a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Kyoto. This graceful plastered wall from around 1942 divides the sacred precinct of Japan's highest-ranking imperial Buddhist convent, located on the historic site of the Muromachi Shogunate's Flower Palace.

Daishoji Temple Main Hall
Kyoto 昭和前
Daishoji Temple Main Hall

Discover the Main Hall of Daishoji, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Kyoto relocated from the Aoyama Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Explore the history of this imperial Buddhist convent founded in 1382, its elegant hōjō-style architecture, and the legacy of imperial princesses who called it home.

Daishoji Temple Corridor
Kyoto 昭和前
Daishoji Temple Corridor

Discover the covered corridor (watari-rōka) of Daishoji Temple, a nationally registered tangible cultural property in Kyoto. This imperial nunnery near Kyoto Imperial Palace preserves centuries of royal Buddhist heritage.

Takekun Shrine's Large Torii Gate
Kyoto 昭和前
Takekun Shrine's Large Torii Gate

Discover the Grand Torii of Takeisao (Kenkun) Shrine, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1934 from Taiwanese Alishan hinoki cypress. Standing at the foot of Mount Funaoka in Kyoto, this majestic gate marks the entrance to the shrine honoring the legendary warlord Oda Nobunaga.

Kenkun Shrine Office
Kyoto 昭和前
Kenkun Shrine Office

Discover the Kenkun Shrine Shamusho (Social Affairs Office), a nationally registered tangible cultural property built in 1929, nestled on Mount Funaoka in Kyoto. Explore the shrine dedicated to Japan's legendary unifier, Oda Nobunaga.

Anglican Church in Japan, Kyoto Holy Trinity Church
Kyoto 昭和前
Anglican Church in Japan, Kyoto Holy Trinity Church

Discover the Holy Trinity Church in Kyoto, a nationally registered tangible cultural property built in 1930. Designed by American architect J.V.W. Bergamini, this unique wooden church blends Japanese traditional architecture with Western ecclesiastical design, featuring exposed timber framing, plaster cross decorations, and an elegant geometric truss chapel.

Funaoka Onsen Baths
Kyoto 昭和前
Funaoka Onsen Baths

A 1932 concrete bathhouse in northern Kyoto reuses stone railings from the demolished Kikusui Bridge, with majolica tile walls and circular clerestory windows.

Heian Shrine Inner Corridor
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine Inner Corridor

Behind Kyoto's Heian Jingu sanctuary runs the inner corridor, a 1940 vermilion cloister on a stone platform with latticed windows and round pillars.

Heian Shrine's Great Torii Gate
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine's Great Torii Gate

The great torii of Kyoto's Heian Jingu, raised in 1928 in reinforced concrete, stands about 24 meters tall. Once Japan's largest, it anchors the Okazaki district.

Heian Shrine Gakuden
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine Gakuden

On the west of Heian Jingu's south court stands the 1940 Gakuden, a rest-and-assembly hall modeled on an ancient palace hall, with board doors and lattice shutters.

Heian Shrine Kagura Hall
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine Kagura Hall

On the east of Heian Jingu's south court, the 1940 Kaguraden sits on a stone platform, open on three sides, hosting sacred dance and Shinto weddings.

Heian Shrine Saikan
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine Saikan

Outside Heian Jingu's east corridor, the 1940 Saikan is a refined modern Japanese hall with a karahafu gabled entrance and finely coffered ceilings.

Heian Shrine Gate Corridor
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine Gate Corridor

Extending east and west from Heian Jingu's main gate, the 1940 Shinmon Yokuro adds tatami rooms and vermilion woodwork under tiled roofs, shaping the shrine's front.

Heian Shrine Lattice Wall and Rear Gate
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine Lattice Wall and Rear Gate

Behind Heian Jingu's sanctuary, a see-through fence and small rear gate close off the rear precinct. Built in 1940 by Sunami Takashi and Tani Shigeo, it runs 90 meters.

Heian Shrine West Sacrificial Vessel Storehouse
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine West Sacrificial Vessel Storehouse

Beside its eastern twin, Heian Jingu's West Saikiko is a 1940 two-story plaster storehouse for ritual vessels, with namako-style joints at its base and plastered eaves.

Heian Shrine West Shrine
Kyoto 昭和前
Heian Shrine West Shrine

Behind Heian Jingu's sanctuary, the 1940 West Shinko is a small log-built sacred storehouse, strictly symmetrical with its eastern twin. A fine miniature azekura hut.