Meiji

A Southern Song tea bowl in Tokyo, known as the Inaba Tenmoku. Another bowl of the very same name here was listed on exactly the same day as this one.

A Southern Song-period silk painting of a quail bearing the "Zakkashitsu-in" connoisseurship seal of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, this Important Cultural Property descends from the celebrated Higashiyama lineage of Chinese paintings cherished by the Ashikaga shogunal house, and is privately preserved in Tokyo as a quiet witness to Japan's medieval engagement with classical Chinese art.

Discover the Pigeon on a Peach Branch (Momohato-zu), a Japanese National Treasure attributed to Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty. This exquisite silk painting from 1107 showcases the boneless (mokkotsu) technique, Slender Gold calligraphy, and a provenance tracing back to Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Held by the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tsushin Zenran (320 volumes) and Zoku Tsushin Zenran (1,784 volumes) form Japan's first systematic compilation of diplomatic records. Covering the turbulent decade from 1859 to 1868, these approximately 2,000 volumes contain primary documents on Perry's arrival, the Namamugi Incident, and other pivotal Bakumatsu events. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 2016, related materials can be viewed free of charge at the Exhibition Room on the 5th floor of Mori JP Tower in Azabudai Hills, Tokyo.

Self-taught photographer Yokoyama Matsusaburo learned his craft to portray his mother. These 83 objects, kept by one Hakodate family, survive from early Meiji Japan.

Calligraphy by the Southern Song Chan master Xutang Zhiyu on wax-coated paper, an Important Cultural Property prized as a tea-room scroll, privately held in Tokyo.

A thirteenth-century Southern Song painting of water buffalo attributed to Yan Ciping, owned by the Sen-oku Hakukokan; a National Treasure since 1957.

The First Factory of the former Brewing Research Institute in Kita, Tokyo, built in 1904 by Tsumaki Yorinaka after German breweries, is a vaulted brick sake plant.

Built in 1910 as the Imperial Guards command office, this Kitanomaru Park landmark is a rare Meiji brick survivor and a scene of the 1945 surrender-night coup.

The former imperial rest house in Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo, a Western-style timber lodge of 1896 by the Imperial Household Ministry, is the only one of its kind left.

Made in 1878 at a government works and moved to Fukagawa in 1929, this 15.2-metre bridge pairs a cast iron arch with wrought iron ties, unique among survivors.

Built in 1890 in Ueno Park, Tokyo, and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1988, this wooden hall still houses Japan's oldest concert pipe organ.

The Former Togu Palace in Tokyo, a Neo-Baroque palace of 1909 by Katayama Tokuma, is a National Treasure and now the State Guest House, open to visitors on set days.

A 1911 two-span stone arch bridge in Tokyo, the zero point of Japan's national roads, an Important Cultural Property since 1999, with bronze kirin and lions.

The Hyokeikan in Ueno, Tokyo, a museum of 1908 within the Tokyo National Museum, marks a royal wedding and is a Neo-Baroque stone and brick hall by Katayama Tokuma.

The iron gate of Myohoji in Suginami, Tokyo, cast in 1878 by the Ministry of Public Works, blends Japanese and Western design with a phoenix and acanthus doors.

The Imbrie House at Meiji Gakuin in Tokyo, a missionary home of about 1889 where William Imbrie lived from 1897 to 1922, mixes post-and-beam and balloon framing.

Built at Glasgow in 1874, the Meiji Maru is the only iron ship left in Japan and the first vessel listed as an Important Cultural Property. Entry is free.

A mid-Meiji silkworm rearing house in Chofu, Tokyo, ringed by glazed doors over clapboard. Converted after the war, it keeps its first roof frame. Registered 2014.

A mid-Meiji grain storehouse in Chofu, Tokyo, facing the main house across the yard, with washed mortar walls and the family house name on a gable. Registered 2014.