Temples in Japan
Main halls, pagodas and gates of Buddhist temples.
Heian · Temples · National Treasures
Chuson-ji
Hiraizumi, Iwate
Built in 1124 by Fujiwara no Kiyohira, first lord of the Northern Fujiwara clan, the Konjikido Golden Hall enshrines Amida Buddha in an interior covered with gold and mother-of-pearl inlay, and four generations of the Fujiwara rest beneath its altar. It is the one building that survives from Chuson-ji's founding.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Zuiganji
Matsushima, Miyagi
At Zuiganji you can see the rooms adorned with sliding-door paintings and the Onari Genkan entrance in the National Treasure main hall completed by Date Masamune in 1609, and next to it the National Treasure Kuri with its bold arabesque carvings and great roof topped by a smoke vent.
Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures
Haguro-san Five-Story Pagoda
Tsuruoka, Yamagata
A plain, unpainted five-story pagoda over 29 meters tall, standing among the cedar trees and stone steps of Mount Haguro's main approach. Built in 1372, it is best seen as part of the sacred path of the Dewa Sanzan mountains.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Rinno-ji Taiyuin
Nikko, Tochigi
At Rinno-ji Taiyuin, the mausoleum of the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu, you can see the National Treasure mausoleum (Haiden, Ai-no-ma and Honden) finished in gold and black, and the approach through the Niomon, Nitenmon and Yashamon gates. The precinct is lined with 315 lanterns, and inside the mausoleum you can see Chinese lions by Kano Tan'yu and dragon paintings on the ceiling.
Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures
Engaku-ji
Kamakura, Kanagawa
At Engaku-ji you can see the Zen-style Shariden (a National Treasure), known for the fan rafters of its eaves, and the Great Bell, a National Treasure and the largest temple bell in the Kanto region. The temple's events calendar includes three special openings of the Shariden a year.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Zuiryu-ji
Takaoka, Toyama
At Zuiryu-ji you can walk through an early Edo-period Zen temple compound where the gates and halls stand in a straight line, linked by corridors. Its three National Treasures are the Sanmon, about 18 meters tall and rebuilt in 1818, the lead-roofed Butsuden, and the Hatto, which holds Maeda Toshinaga's memorial tablet.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Zenko-ji
Nagano, Nagano
The main hall, rebuilt in 1707 and now a National Treasure, stands about 27 meters tall with a T-shaped shumoku-zukuri roof, and is among the largest wooden National Treasure buildings in eastern Japan. The non-sectarian temple enshrines a triad of Amida Buddha in one halo, and visitors can walk the pitch-dark Okaidan passage beneath the inner sanctuary.
Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures
Onjo-ji (Mii-dera)
Otsu, Shiga
At Mii-dera you can see the large Momoyama-period Kondo and the Shinra Zenjin-do with its graceful cypress-bark roof. The shoin-style guest halls of Kangaku-in and Kojo-in can be seen on a special visit arranged in advance.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Enryaku-ji
Otsu, Shiga
Founded by the monk Saicho, Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei is a World Heritage temple known as the mother of Japanese Buddhism. Its National Treasure, the Konponchudo main hall in the Todo area, houses the Eternal Flame, said to have burned before the principal image for 1,200 years.
Heian · Temples · National Treasures
Ishiyama-dera
Otsu, Shiga
At Ishiyama-dera you can see two National Treasures: the Heian-period Main Hall, whose worship hall is built out over the wollastonite bedrock, and the Tahoto Pagoda of 1194, the oldest of its kind with a known date. There is also the Genji Room, where Murasaki Shikibu is said to have begun The Tale of Genji.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Hogon-ji
Nagahama, Shiga
At Hogon-ji you can see the National Treasure Karamon Gate, noted as possibly the only surviving building of Hideyoshi's Osaka Castle, the partly cliff-hung Kannon Hall and the Funa-roka corridor leading to Tsukubusuma Shrine. Stone steps lead up to the main hall of the Great Benzaiten.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Nishi Hongan-ji
Kyoto, Kyoto
The head temple of the Hongwanji branch of Jodo Shinshu, which grew from the mausoleum of Shinran. Eight National Treasure buildings stand here, including the vast Founder's Hall and Amida Hall, the richly carved Karamon Gate, the gold-painted shoin halls, the oldest surviving Noh stage and the three-story Hiunkaku Pavilion.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Sanpo-in
Kyoto, Kyoto
At Sanpo-in you can see the National Treasure Omote Shoin, which borrows from the shinden style, and the National Treasure Karamon Gate, its black lacquer set off by gold crests. In front of the Omote Shoin spreads the garden, a Special Place of Scenic Beauty whose basic design Toyotomi Hideyoshi drew up for the Daigo Cherry Blossom Viewing.
Heian · Temples · National Treasures
Daigo-ji
Kyoto, Kyoto
At Daigo-ji you can see the Five-Story Pagoda, said to be the oldest wooden building in Kyoto Prefecture, and the Kondo in the lower precinct, and the Yakushi Hall and the cliff-hung Seiryu-gu Worship Hall on the mountaintop at Kami-Daigo. The temple counts six National Treasure buildings in all; the two at Sanpo-in are covered on the Sanpo-in page.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Daitoku-ji
Kyoto, Kyoto
At Daitoku-ji you can walk through a Zen temple compound whose main buildings line up north to south, along with its many sub-temples. The head temple, with the National Treasure Hojo, its entrance and the Momoyama-period Karamon Gate, is normally closed, so visitors see the layout from outside.
Kamakura · Temples · National Treasures
To-ji (Kyoogokoku-ji)
Kyoto, Kyoto
Entrusted by Emperor Saga to the monk Kukai, To-ji is the head training temple of Shingon Buddhism. Its five-story pagoda, about 55 m tall and said to be Japan's tallest wooden tower, rises just south of Kyoto Station, and the grounds hold National Treasure halls such as the Momoyama-period Kondo and the Muromachi-period Daishi-do.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Ninna-ji
Kyoto, Kyoto
The head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism, completed by Emperor Uda in 888 and long headed by abbots from the imperial family. Its National Treasure Kondo is the Shishinden hall moved from the imperial palace, seen together with the Nio Gate, the five-story pagoda and the late-blooming Omuro cherry trees.
Momoyama · Temples · National Treasures
Nanzen-ji
Kyoto, Kyoto
A head temple of the Rinzai school, begun when the retired Emperor Kameyama turned his villa into a Zen temple. In the National Treasure Hojo you can see wall paintings in the Large and Small Hojo, moved from the imperial palace, and the dry garden known as Tiger Cubs Crossing.
Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures
Jisho-ji (Ginkaku-ji)
Kyoto, Kyoto
Built at the Higashiyama villa of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth Muromachi shogun, the Kannon-den (Silver Pavilion) and his private chapel, the Togu-do, are both National Treasures. Modeled on the Golden Pavilion but left unadorned, the building and the garden Yoshimasa helped shape still carry the quiet taste of Higashiyama culture.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Chion-in
Kyoto, Kyoto
The head temple of the Jodo school, standing where its founder Honen once lived and taught. Two great Early Edo buildings here are National Treasures: the Sanmon Gate, one of the largest wooden gates in Japan, and the Miedo Hall, which enshrines Honen's portrait statue.
Muromachi · Temples · National Treasures
Tofuku-ji
Kyoto, Kyoto
At Tofuku-ji you can see the National Treasure Sanmon Gate, described as the oldest and largest surviving Zen temple gate, along with the statues and ceiling paintings on its upper floor. You can also visit the medieval Zendo and Tosu, Shigemori Mirei's Hojo gardens and Tsutenkyo bridge, famous for autumn colors.
Kamakura · Temples · National Treasures
Myoho-in and Sanjusangen-do
Kyoto, Kyoto
Sanjusangen-do's slender main hall, about 120 m long, holds 1,001 standing statues of the thousand-armed Kannon ranked on tiered platforms; the hall itself was rebuilt in 1266 and is a Kamakura-period National Treasure. Myoho-in, the temple that owns it, also has a National Treasure kitchen hall from the Momoyama period.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Kiyomizu-dera
Kyoto, Kyoto
Kiyomizu-dera's main hall, rebuilt in 1633, juts out from the slope of Mount Otowa on 18 zelkova pillars in the kakezukuri style and is a National Treasure. Look out over Kyoto from its famous stage, then gaze up at the nail-free timber framing from below. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage site.
Edo · Temples · National Treasures
Manpuku-ji
Uji, Kyoto
The head temple of the Obaku school of Zen, founded by Yinyuan (Ingen), where three National Treasure halls in the Chinese Ming style, the Tennoden, the Daiyuhoden and the Hatto, stand in a straight line. You can see designs rarely found at other temples, such as the teak main hall and the arched Obaku ceilings.