Cultural heritage in Tohoku
Browse Tohoku prefecture by prefecture.
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 · Shrines · National Treasures
Osaki Hachimangu
Sendai, Miyagi
At Osaki Hachimangu you can see the shrine building completed for Date Masamune in 1607, an ishi-no-ma (gongen-zukuri) structure adorned with black lacquer and richly colored carvings. The contrast with the plain wooden Nagatoko hall in front of it is also worth a look.
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.
Historic districts
Kakunodate, Semboku
Semboku, Akita
A samurai town that still follows the street plan laid out in 1620, with fences lining its wide streets and residences that keep their main house, gate and storehouses. Weeping cherry trees over 300 years old and tall firs form groves that are part of the townscape itself.
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.
Historic districts
Ouchi-juku, Shimogo
Shimogo, Fukushima
A post town on the old highway between Aizu and Shimotsuke, where thatched, hip-roofed houses stand at nearly even intervals along a street about 450 meters long, their gable ends facing the road. Residents still cut thatch and re-roof the houses together, keeping the shape of an Edo-period post town alive in the mountains.
Historic districts
Nakamachi, Hirosaki
Hirosaki, Aomori
Nakamachi, Hirosaki is a samurai residence town in Hirosaki, Aomori, selected in 1978 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
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Historic districts
Nakamachi, Kuroishi
Kuroishi, Aomori
Nakamachi, Kuroishi is a merchant town in Kuroishi, Aomori, selected in 2005 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
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Historic districts
Murata, Murata Town
Murata, Miyagi
Murata, Murata Town is a merchant town in Murata, Miyagi, selected in 2014 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
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Historic districts
Masuda, Yokote
Yokote, Akita
Masuda, Yokote is a rural market town in Yokote, Akita, selected in 2013 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
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Heian · Temples · National Treasures
Shiramizu Amida-do (Ganjo-ji)
Iwaki, Fukushima
Shiramizu Amida-do (Ganjo-ji) is a temple in Iwaki, Fukushima. Its Shiramizu Amida-do (Amida Hall) is a designated National Treasure (Late Heian period, 1160).
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Historic districts
Maezawa, Minamiaizu
Minamiaizu, Fukushima
Maezawa, Minamiaizu is a mountain village in Minamiaizu, Fukushima, selected in 2011 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
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Historic districts
Odzuke, Kitakata
Kitakata, Fukushima
Odzuke, Kitakata is a rural market town in Kitakata, Fukushima, selected in 2018 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
Text in preparationHistoric districts
Jonai Suwakoji, Kanegasaki
Kanegasaki, Iwate
Jonai Suwakoji, Kanegasaki is a samurai district in Kanegasaki, Iwate, selected in 2001 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
Text in preparation