Important Cultural Property of Shiga

Oda Shrine's two-story Romon Gate in Omihachiman, Shiga, is a 14th-century Important Cultural Property, its cypress-bark roof and Muromachi form intact.

Standing in the grounds of Zenryū-ji and Inshū-ji temples in Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture, the Kakesho Hōtō is a 3.83-metre stone pagoda carved in the late Kamakura period (1275–1332) and designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1925. With its base, cylindrical body, square roof and tall finial all beautifully preserved, and with striking peacock reliefs carved on the sides of its base, it is consistently ranked among the finest stone hōtō of the Ōmi region. The site also marks the ground where the Kanamori Gassen of 1466—the first ikkō-ikki in Japanese history—took place, making the pagoda both an artistic masterpiece and a silent witness to a pivotal moment in medieval Japanese religion.

The main hall of Jishu Shrine in Katsuragawa, Otsu, is the only three-bay Kasuga-style shrine in Shiga. Rebuilt in 1502, it guards the Tendai temple of Myoo-in.

Shina Shrine's main hall in Kusatsu, built in 1298, keeps a ridgepole inscription naming its carpenter. A wind-god hall with Kamakura brackets and white plaster.

Once Zeze Castle's North Great Gate on Lake Biwa, this korai-mon was rebuilt at Shinozu Shrine, Otsu, in 1872. Its tiles still carry the Honda hollyhock crest.

An unsigned granite hokyointo at Jakushoji in Hino, Shiga, dated to the late Kamakura period by its upright corner ornaments, carved Buddhas and lotus base.

Discover the Main Hall of Shirahige Shrine in Takashima, Shiga — an Important Cultural Property built in 1603 by Toyotomi Hideyori. Explore Momoyama-era architecture, the iconic floating torii gate on Lake Biwa, and over 2,000 years of sacred history.

Discover the Shingu Shrine Front Gate (Shingu Jinja Omote-mon), a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1485 in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture. This thatched-roof gate with exquisite Muromachi-period carvings stands at the heart of Japan Heritage ninja country.

Discover the Main Hall of Shingu Shrine in Kusatsu, Shiga — an Important Cultural Property built in 1523. Admire its rare karahafu gable, exquisite kaerumata carvings, and a relocated Zeze Castle gate along the historic Tokaido highway.

Sekishin-ji's main hall in Kusatsu, rebuilt around 1359, blends Japanese and Zen styles. It stands at Yabase, the Lake Biwa port behind the proverb isogaba maware.

Two granite five-ring pagodas at Ishidō-ji in Shiga, dated 1304 and 1349. The carved year-marks make this Important Cultural Property a rare dating anchor.

Discover the Important Cultural Property seven-story stone pagoda at Sekininji Temple in Higashiomi, Shiga. Built in 1318, this Kamakura-period monument is tied to the legendary Man'yōshū poet Yamabe no Akahito. Explore its history, significance, and visitor tips.

Discover the Sōkenji Three-Story Pagoda, an Important Cultural Property of Japan built in 1454 and relocated by Oda Nobunaga to Azuchi Castle. Explore its Muromachi-period architecture, rich history, and stunning hilltop setting overlooking Lake Biwa.

Discover the Daiichi Daidogawa Bridge, a designated Important Cultural Property in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture. Built in 1954, this pioneering prestressed concrete railway bridge still carries trains on the Shigaraki Kohgen Railway and stands as a milestone in Japanese civil engineering history.

The Main Hall of Daigyoji Shrine, located within the grounds of Enkoji Temple in Kunobe, Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, is a mid-Muromachi period (c. 1466) shrine built in the ikkensha nagare-zukuri style with a hinoki cypress bark roof. Designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1943, this exquisite structure features refined transom carvings and ornamental panels. Together with Enkoji Temple's own Important Cultural Properties, the site offers a rare glimpse into the medieval tradition of shinbutsu-shūgō, the harmonious coexistence of Shinto and Buddhist worship.

Discover the Important Cultural Properties of Ganzanken and Rantei at Daitsuji Temple in Nagahama, Shiga. These Edo-period shoin halls feature sliding door paintings by Kano Sanraku, Kano Sansetsu, and Maruyama Okyo, with nationally designated scenic gardens incorporating Mt. Ibuki as borrowed scenery.

The Grand Hall (Hiroma) of Daitsuji Temple in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, is an Important Cultural Property of Japan believed to have originated as the formal audience chamber of Fushimi Castle. Its shoin-zukuri architecture and vivid Momoyama-era screen paintings by Kano school artists offer visitors an extraordinary window into Japan's feudal past. Discover the intertwined history of this Higashi Honganji branch temple and the powerful Ii clan of Hikone.

The Bell Tower at Chomeiji Temple in Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property built in 1608. Featuring an elegant two-story hakama-goshi design with cypress bark roofing, it houses a medieval bronze bell and offers breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Biwa from its elevated hillside position within the 31st temple of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

Chiyo Shrine in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, is home to a main hall (honden) designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, built in 1638 during the early Edo period. As reportedly the only shrine in Japan enshrining Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto—the goddess of performing arts—as its principal deity, it attracts actors, musicians, and artists from across the country. The three-bay nagare-zukuri hall features exquisite polychrome carvings and lacquerwork, representing the finest of early Edo shrine architecture.

Tucked into the western foothills of the Suzuka Mountains in Higashiomi City, Shiga, the Main Hall of Hyakusai-ji Temple is an early Edo-period Buddhist hall completed in 1650 and designated an Important Cultural Property in 2004. Founded according to tradition by Prince Shōtoku in 606, this Tendai temple was rebuilt by the monk Ryōzan after Oda Nobunaga's destruction of the complex. The hall preserves the tripartite spatial order of medieval Buddhist halls while embracing early-modern aesthetics, and stands as one of the famed Three Mountain Temples east of Lake Biwa, celebrated for autumn foliage, the Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree, stone-paved approach, and the Garden of Distant Views.

Shiga’s registered properties across designations, with featured heritage and travel notes.

The complete kokuhō catalogue — browse by prefecture, period, and category.

Nationwide jūyō bunkazai — architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and documents.