Japanese Traditional Architecture
Building↕ | City↕ | Type↕ | Built/Rebuilt↕ | Style↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) | Kyoto | Zen Buddhist temple | 1397 (rebuilt 1955) | Muromachi shinden-zukuri | Gold-leaf covered pavilion reflected in mirror pond, rebuilt after 1950 arson |
| Itsukushima Shrine | Hatsukaichi | Shinto shrine | 1168 | Shinden-zukuri | Floating torii gate in the sea, built over tidal flats, UNESCO site |
| Himeji Castle | Himeji | Castle | 1609 | Japanese castle | White Heron Castle, finest surviving feudal castle, UNESCO site, never destroyed |
| Horyu-ji | Ikaruga | Buddhist temple | 607 (rebuilt 711) | Asuka | Oldest wooden buildings in the world, five-story pagoda, UNESCO site |
| Todai-ji | Nara | Buddhist temple | 752 (rebuilt 1709) | Tenpyo/Edo | Great Buddha Hall is largest wooden building in the world, 15m bronze Buddha |
| Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) | Kyoto | Zen Buddhist temple | 1482 | Higashiyama | Never silver-coated, Zen dry garden, moss garden, sand cone Mount Fuji |
| Kiyomizu-dera | Kyoto | Buddhist temple | 1633 | Japanese Buddhist | Massive wooden stage built without nails, 13m stilts over hillside |
| Byodo-in Phoenix Hall | Uji | Buddhist temple | 1053 | Heian | Pictured on the Japanese 10-yen coin, phoenix-shaped hall over reflecting pond |
| Matsumoto Castle | Matsumoto | Castle | 1594 | Japanese castle | Crow Castle, black lacquered exterior, original wooden interior, Alps backdrop |
| Fushimi Inari-taisha | Kyoto | Shinto shrine | 711 | Shinto | 10,000 vermilion torii gates forming tunnels, fox messengers of Inari deity |
| Ise Grand Shrine | Ise | Shinto shrine | 4 BCE (rebuilt every 20 years) | Shinmei-zukuri | Most sacred Shinto site, rebuilt every 20 years, thatched roofs, unpainted cypress |
| Toshogu Shrine | Nikko | Shinto shrine | 1617 | Edo ornate | Tokugawa Ieyasu mausoleum, Three Wise Monkeys carving, Yomeimon gate, UNESCO site |
| Shuri Castle | Naha, Okinawa | Castle | 1429 (rebuilt 1992, 2026) | Ryukyuan | Capital of Ryukyu Kingdom, red lacquered main hall, Chinese-influenced design |
| Ryoan-ji | Kyoto | Zen Buddhist temple | 1450 | Muromachi | Most famous karesansui (dry rock) garden, 15 stones only 14 visible at once |
| Daitoku-ji | Kyoto | Zen Buddhist temple | 1319 | Rinzai Zen | Complex of 24 sub-temples, tea ceremony tradition, Sen no Rikyu connection |
| Horyu-ji Yumedono (Hall of Dreams) | Ikaruga | Buddhist temple | 739 | Nara | Octagonal hall, Guze Kannon hidden buddha, Prince Shotoku memorial |
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