Bunkazai TabiA travel guide to Japan’s cultural heritage

Cultural heritage in Shimane

National Treasure buildings and historic districts in Shimane.

Izumo Taisha: The worship hall

Edo · Shrines · National Treasures

Izumo Taisha

Izumo, Shimane

Izumo Taisha's main sanctuary, dedicated to the deity Okuninushi, is a National Treasure in the ancient Taisha-zukuri style and, at about 24 m, the tallest shrine building of its kind in Japan. The treasure hall displays a giant pillar from the ancient sanctuary, unearthed in 2000.

Matsue Castle: The keep

Momoyama · Castles · National Treasures

Matsue Castle

Matsue, Shimane

Matsue Castle's keep, one of Japan's five National Treasure castles, is the only surviving four-tiered, five-story keep in the Chugoku region. Look for its two-story-long through pillars and the roof's shachihoko ornament, about 2 m tall and said to be the largest surviving wooden one.

Kamosu Shrine

Momoyama · Shrines · National Treasures

Kamosu Shrine

Matsue, Shimane

Kamosu Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Matsue, Shimane. Its Honden (Main Sanctuary) is a designated National Treasure (Momoyama period, 1583).

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Yunotsu, Oda

Historic districts

Yunotsu, Oda

Oda, Shimane

Yunotsu, Oda is a port town and hot-spring town in Oda, Shimane, selected in 2004 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Omori Ginzan, Oda

Historic districts

Omori Ginzan, Oda

Oda, Shimane

Omori Ginzan, Oda is a mining town in Oda, Shimane, selected in 1987 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Tsuwano, Tsuwano Town

Historic districts

Tsuwano, Tsuwano Town

Tsuwano, Shimane

Tsuwano, Tsuwano Town is a samurai district and merchant town in Tsuwano, Shimane, selected in 2013 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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Historic districts

Mihonoseki, Matsue

Matsue, Shimane

Mihonoseki, Matsue is a shrine town and port town in Matsue, Shimane, selected in 2026 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

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