List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
The term "National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897.
The definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term. These ancient documents adhere to the current definition, and have been designated National Treasures since the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties came into effect on June 9, 1951. The items are selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, based on their "especially high historical or artistic value". "Ancient documents" is one of thirteen categories of National Treasures recognized by the agency. The list presents 62 documents or sets of documents from classical to early modern Japan, from the Asuka period to the Meiji period. The actual number of items is more than 62 because groups of related objects have been combined into single entries. The list contains items of various type such as letters, diaries, records or catalogues, certificates, imperial decrees, testaments and maps. The documents record early Japanese government and Buddhism including early Japanese contact with China, the organization of the state and life at the Japanese imperial court. They are housed in 14 Japanese cities in temples, museums, libraries or archives, shrines, universities and in private collections. Most entries in the list are located in Kyoto. The documents in this list were made predominantly with a writing brush on paper and, in many cases, present important examples of calligraphy.
Writing was physically introduced to Japan from China in the form of inscribed artefacts at the beginning of the Christian era. Examples, some of which have been designated as archaeological National Treasures, include coins of the reign of Wang Mang, a 1st-century gold seal from Shikanoshima, a late 2nd century iron sword from the Tōdaijiyama burial mound, the Seven-Branched Sword with inscription from 369 and a large number of bronze mirrors—the oldest dating to the 3rd century. All of these artefacts originated on the continent, most likely in China. However, the written inscriptions on them may not have been recognized as writing but instead may have been mistaken for decorations by the Japanese. When the Japanese later manufactured locally copies of original Chinese mirrors, they may have continued to believe the written inscriptions to be merely decorative.
The concept of writing came to Japan from the Korean kingdom of Baekje in the form of classical Chinese books likely written on paper and in the form of manuscript rolls. This probably happened at the beginning of the 5th century, and certainly during the 6th century. According to legend the scholar Wani introduced the Chinese writing system as well as Confucianism to Japan. The oldest texts of Japanese origin, which show a clear understanding of the concept of writing, date to the 5th century and are—like most texts from before 700—inscriptions on stone or metal.
Examples include three archaeological National Treasures: Suda Hachiman Shrine Mirror from about the 5th century, which is a poor copy of a Chinese original, the Inariyama Sword from 471 or 531 and the Eta Funayama burial mound sword from about the 5th century. The abrupt transition from an unfamiliarity with writing to reading and writing complicated works in a foreign language required the earliest Japanese texts be composed and read by people from the continent such as Wani. The Inariyama Sword is also the oldest example of man'yōgana use, a writing system that employs Chinese characters to represent the Japanese language. Soon after the introduction of writing, scribes were appointed to the provinces to "record events and report conditions".
While writing in Japan was limited during the 5th and 6th centuries, the number of documents written locally increased in the 7th century; though most of them have been lost. By the end of the 7th century increased cultural dependence on China caused reading and writing, particularly in government and religion, to become an integral part of Japanese life. There were two major factors for this development: starting with the Taika Reforms and continuing with the Asuka Kiyomihara Code and censuses from 670 and 690, a Chinese style centralised state was formed, requiring the need for a large number of officials who were literate and educated in, among others, Confucian texts at the Daigakuryo founded under Emperor Tenchi. The second factor was the increasing popularity of Buddhism, which had been introduced to Japan in the mid-6th century and strongly promoted by Prince Shōtoku. The Sangyō Gisho, traditionally attributed to Prince Shōtoku, is the oldest extant Japanese text of any length. Buddhism required the study of sutras written in Chinese and the state founded a Sutra Copying Bureau before 727. The oldest Japanese books are two chronicles, Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, from the early 8th century. While the phonogram orthography enjoyed increasing popularity during the 8th century, it was not yet used for longer prose. The modern kana, notably hiragana and katakana were developed in the Heian period.
Statistics
Almost half of all entries in the list are located in Kyoto.| Prefecture | City | National Treasures |
| Chiba | Sakura | 2 |
| Fukuoka | Fukuoka | 1 |
| Gifu | Motosu | 1 |
| Kyoto | Kyoto | 28 |
| Kyoto | Miyazu | 1 |
| Nara | Nara | 4 |
| Osaka | Kawachinagano | 1 |
| Osaka | Shimamoto | 1 |
| Shiga | Nagahama | 1 |
| Shiga | Ōtsu | 8 |
| Shizuoka | Makinohara | 1 |
| Tochigi | Ōtawara | 1 |
| Tokyo | Tokyo | 10 |
| Wakayama | Kōya | 1 |
| Yamagata | Yonezawa | 1 |
Usage
The table's columns are sortable pressing the arrows symbols. The following gives an overview of what is included in the table and how the sorting works.- Name: the name as registered in the Database of National Cultural Properties
- Author: name of the author
- Content: information about the type of document and its content
- Date: period and year; The column entries sort by year. If only a period is known, they sort by the start year of that period.
- Format: principal type, technique and dimensions; The column entries sort by the main type: scroll, collection and other
- Present location: "building-name temple/museum/shrine-name town-name prefecture-name"; The column entries sort as "prefecture-name town-name".
- Image: picture of the document or of a characteristic document in a group of documents
Treasures
| Name | Authors | Content | Date | Format | Present location | Image |
| Documents of the Shimazu Family | — | Large scale collection of documents of the Shimazu clan covering among others politics, diplomacy, social economy and inheritance | Heian period to Meiji period | Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo, Tokyo | ||
| Genealogy of the Amabe Clan | — | Oldest extant Japanese family tree | Heian period | private, Kono Shrine, Miyazu, Kyoto | ||
| Letter from the viceroy of Portuguese India | Duarte de Menezes | Letter from Duarte de Menezes, viceroy of Portuguese India to daimyō Toyotomi Hideyoshi concerning the suppression of Christians in Japan | Azuchi–Momoyama period, April 1588 | Myōhō-in, Kyoto | ||
| — | Agricultural records of villages in the Tonami District of Etchū Province. It is a valuable resource for the study of an area under the Ritsuryō law in the 8th to 10th century. | Nara period and Heian Period, 751–901 | Ishiyama-dera, Ōtsu, Shiga | — | ||
| Sugaura documents and Illustrated map of Sugaura and Ōura Shimo manors | — | Documents of the history of Sugaura that are relevant for the study of the history of, autonomous peasant communities in medieval Japan. The shōen map contains the boundaries of Sugaura and Ōura-shimo manors whose boundaries were contested at the time, but more prominently Chikubu Island in Lake Biwa with a temple-shrine complex. | Kamakura period 1302 ; Kamakura period – Edo period | Suga Shrine, Nishiazai, Nagahama, Shiga | ||
| Documents related to the priest Enchin | Enchin and others | Documents surrounding Enchin's trip to China containing information on his activities as well as on Sino-Japanese relations in the mid-9th century. They are also of interest for the study of calligraphy. | Heian Period and Tang Dynasty, 9th–10th century | Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo | ||
| Imperial Decree Granting Ecclesiastical Rank of Hōin Daikashō and Posthumous Name Chishō Daishi to Enchin | Ono no Michikaze, Fujiwara Hirofumi | Letter promoting Enchin, the teacher of Zōmyō, abbot of Enryaku-ji, 36 years after his death to the highest ecclesiastical rank: Great Master of the Dharma Seal and granting the posthumous name: hishō Daishi | Heian period, December 27, 927 | Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo | ||
| Map of Nukata-dera Shichidō garan | — | A map showing a Shōen or manor in the Nara period. The depicted area is about 1,100m by 700m. | Nara period, second half of 8th century | National Museum of Japanese History, Sakura, Chiba | ||
| Name list of Abhiseka initiates or List of individuals admitted into the mysteries of Shingon Buddhism | Kūkai | List of people and deities who underwent the Abhiseka ritual at Takaosan-ji in 812, presided by Kūkai | Heian period, 812 | Jingo-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Official Register and Inventory for Kanshin-ji | — | Document containing the reason and circumstances of the establishment of Kanshin-ji temple and a list of the temple's assets from that time | Heian period, September 15, 883 | Kanshin-ji, Kawachinagano, Osaka | ||
| Inventory of Kanzeon-ji | — | Inventory of Kanzeon-ji | Heian period, October 1, 905 | Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo | ||
| Draft of the petition of foundation of Zenrin-ji by Emperor Kameyama | Emperor Kameyama | Document on the foundation of Nanzen-ji, formerly Zenrin-ji | Kamakura period, March 5, 1299 | Nanzen-ji, Kyoto | — | |
| Visit of the Cloistered rule | Fujiwara no Teika | Diary in classical Chinese of a visit with Emperor Go-Toba and Minamoto no Michichika to Kumano | Kamakura period, October, 1201 | Mitsui Memorial Museum, Tokyo | ||
| Diary of ex-Emperor Go-Uda | Emperor Go-Uda | Chronicle in the almanac in the emperor's own handwriting | Kamakura period, 1319 | National Museum of Japanese History, Sakura, Chiba | ||
| Will with Handprints by Emperor Go-Uda | Emperor Go-Uda | Testament of Emperor Go-Uda with handprints | Kamakura period, 1308 | Daikaku-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Letter accompanying a prayer for the prosperity of Tō-ji temple, by Emperor Go-Uda | Emperor Go-Uda | Imperial letter praying for the growth of Tō-ji temple, written in the emperor's own handwriting one year after entering the priesthood | Kamakura period, February 12, 1308 | Tō-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Letter of the Emperor Go-Uda, Promotion of the precepts of the Daigo school | Emperor Go-Uda | Three letters in the emperor's own handwriting addressed to a monk of Hōon-in, Daigo-ji, with the intention of unifying the Ono and Hirosawa branches of the Shingon sect | Kamakura period, 1309 | Daigo-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Model letter by Emperor Go-Saga | Emperor Go-Saga | Only extant letter of Emperor Go-Saga, addressed to the cloistered Prince Doshin of Ninna-ji | Kamakura period, April 15, 1246 | Ninna-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Testament by Emperor Go-Daigo | Emperor Go-Daigo | Will in the emperor's own handwriting | Kamakura period, August 24, 1333 | Daitoku-ji, Kyoto | — | |
| Tenchō injin | transcription by Emperor Go-Daigo design and postscript by | Certificate of highest confirmation in Esoteric Buddhism given by the priest Kūkai to his disciple Shinga | Nanboku-chō period, July 23, 1339 | Daigo-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Will and testament of Emperor Go-Toba with handprint | Emperor Go-Toba | Will and testament in the emperor's own handwriting with handprints | Kamakura period, February 9, 1239 | Minase Shrine, Shimamoto, Osaka | ||
| Gonijō Moromichi-ki | Fujiwara no Moromichi and Fujiwara no Yorinaga | Diary of Fujiwara no Moromichi consisting of one volume in his own handwriting covering parts of the year 1093 and 29 volumes transcribed by Fujiwara no Yorinaga | late Heian period, 1083–1099 | Yōmei Bunko, Kyoto | — | |
| Diary of Fujiwara no Michinaga | Fujiwara no Michinaga | Diary of Fujiwara no Michinaga consisting of 14 volumes in his own handwriting and 12 other volumes. It covers the years from 998 to 1021 with interruptions. | Heian period, 998–1021 | Yōmei Bunko, Kyoto | ||
| History and Legends of the Kōryū-ji temple | — | Catalogue of treasures and historical record of Kōryū-ji | Heian period | Kōryū-ji, Kyoto | — | |
| — | Authentic register of property changes of Kōryū-ji temple | Heian period | Kōryū-ji, Kyoto | — | ||
| Catalogue of imported items | Saichō | Catalogue of articles brought back to Japan by Kūkai from his trip to Tang Dynasty China | Heian period, 9th century | Tō-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Three letters by Kūkai | Kūkai | Three letters from Kūkai to Saichō mounted as a scroll | Heian period, 9th century | Tō-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Model letter by Emperor Takakura | Emperor Takakura | Only extant letter of Emperor Takakura | Heian period, November 13, 1178 | Ninna-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Ordination certificate of monk Kōjō | Emperor Saga | Document in the emperor's own handwriting to the priest Kōjō, after his vow to follow the precepts, certifying that Kōjō had undergone the rite known as Bosatsu-kai | Heian period, April 14, 823 | Enryaku-ji, Ōtsu, Shiga | ||
| Imperial letters of three rulers | Emperor Hanazono, Emperor Fushimi, Emperor Go-Daigo | — | Kamakura period, 13th and 14th century | Maeda Ikutokukai, Tokyo | — | |
| Testament of the priest Jie | Ryōgen | Written by the 61-year-old priest Ryōgen, entrusting everything to his pupil Jinzen. Contains detailed instructions on the funeral service | Heian period, May, 972 | Rozan-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Fragment of a census from 908 in, 908 | Ishiyama-dera, Ōtsu, Shiga | |||||
| Uesugi Family documents | — | Collection of documents handed down in the Uesugi clan | Kamakura period – Edo period | Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum, Yonezawa, Yamagata | ||
| True record of articles in the possession of Ninna-ji | — | Catalogue of items offered to the temple treasures by Emperor Uda about ten days before his death | Heian period, January 10, 950 | Ninna-ji, Kyoto | — | |
| Minamoto no Toshifusa | Diary of Sadaijin Minamoto no Toshifusa in his own handwriting | Heian period, 1077 and 1081 | Maeda Ikutokukai, Tokyo | — | ||
| Imperial rescript of Emperor Shōmu | Emperor Shōmu | — | Nara period, May 20, 749 | Heiden-ji, Makinohara, Shizuoka | ||
| Origin and history of Ghost Festival at Seigan-ji | Eisai | Document on the origin and meaning of the Ghost Festival as transmitted from Song Dynasty China | Heian period, July 15, 1178 | , ink on colored paper, | Seigan-ji, Fukuoka, Fukuoka | |
| Letter soliciting donations for the restoration of Sennyū-ji temple | Shunjō | Document on the origins of Sennyū-ji temple | Kamakura period, October 1221 | Sennyū-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Surviving passages of memorial presented to Emperor Saga | Kūkai | Document accompanying the present of four tanuki hair writing brushes to Emperor Saga. According to this document, the brushes were meant to be used for regular, semi-cursive, cursive script and for the hand-copying of sutras respectively. | Heian period | Daigo-ji, Kyoto | ||
| Writings related to the priest Enchin | — | Various documents | Tang Dynasty, Heian period | Mii-dera, Ōtsu, Shiga | ||
| Essential Teachings for Tendai Lotus Sect Priests | Letter addressed to the Imperial Court wishing for an increase of the number of people allowed to enter the priesthood from 10 to 12 per year due to the establishment of Tendai Buddhism | Heian period, 9th century | Enryaku-ji, Ōtsu, Shiga | |||
| Catalogue of Imported Items | Saichō | Catalogue of sacred books brought back by Saichō from Tang Dynasty China | Heian period, May 13, 805 | Enryaku-ji, Ōtsu, Shiga | ||
| Certificate of priesthood for Saichō and related papers to and from the controller of priesthood | — | Three letters on Saichō entering priesthood and his vow to follow the precepts | Nara period, 780–783 | Raigō-in, Kyoto | ||
| Passing permits for Dengyō-daishi | — | Tang Dynasty passing permits for Saichō: from Ningbo in 804 and from Taizhou in 805 | Tang Dynasty, September 12, 804 and February 805 | Enryaku-ji, Ōtsu, Shiga | ||
| Letter penned by the Saichō monk | Saichō | Letter known as Kykaku-jō from Saichō to Taihan, his favourite student at Takaosan-ji | Heian period, November 25, 813 | Nara National Museum, Nara | ||
| Letter written in kana syllabary | attributed to Fujiwara no Yukinari | Letter valued for its continuous unbroken calligraphy | Heian period, 10th–11th century | Kyūkyodō, Kyoto | ||
| Documents and treasures of Tō-ji | — | Huge collection of documents covering a lot of ground starting from Shōen or manor related documents and including documents on the economic history and the history of Buddhism | 8th century Nara period – late Edo period | Kyoto Prefectural Library and Archives, Kyoto | ||
| Documents of Tōdai-ji | — | Collection of documents on the history of Tōdai-ji temple | Heian period – Muromachi period | Tōdai-ji, Nara | ||
| Letter by Fujiwara no Sari or | Fujiwara no Sukemasa/Sari | Written from Shimonoseki on the way to Kyushu where Sasaki had been appointed Dazai no Daini. Addressed to Fujiwara no Sanenobu. | Heian period, 991 | Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art, Tokyo | ||
| Draft Letters by Fujiwara no Tadamichi | Fujiwara no Tadamichi | Collection of 25 letters composed as a style manual for letter writing | Heian period, 12th century | Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto | ||
| Stone in Nasu County | — | Granite stone monument in remembrance of Atai Ide, governor of Nasu, consisting of a standing main stone with a hat stone. The main stone bears a calligraphic inscription which is influenced by the Northern Wei robust style. | Asuka period, end of the 7th century | Kasaishi Shrine, Ōtawara, Tochigi | ||
| Kanetane | Transcription of the 9th century original by Kanetane, a monk at Chōraku-ji, Kyoto | Kamakura period, October 26, 1291 | private, Motosu, Gifu | |||
| Certificate of advanced learning in Buddhism | Shunjō | Written by the priest Shunjō in the last month before his death for his student | Kamakura period, March 22, 1227 | Sennyū-ji, Kyoto | — | |
| Priest Mongaku's forty-five article rules and regulations | Fujiwara no Tadachika | Document requesting the restoration of Jingo-ji temple from Emperor Go-Shirakawa | early Kamakura period, before 1192 | Jingo-ji, Kyoto | ||
| ,, | — | Documents on the history, territory, function, etc. of Mount Kōya including letters by Minamoto no Yoritomo, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Saigyō Hōshi | Heian period – Azuchi-Momoyama period | Reihōkan, Kōya, Wakayama | ||
| Record of Imperial Bequest to the Hōryū-ji temple | Fujiwara no Nakamaro, Fujiwara no Nagate, Koma Fukushin, Kamo Tsunotari and Kazuragi Henushi | Record of the objects bequeathed to the Hōryū-ji temple by Empress Kōken on occasion of the death of Emperor Shōmu | Nara period, July 8, 756 | Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo | ||
| The Record of the Clear Moon | Fujiwara no Teika | Comprehensive diary in classical Chinese, covering the life of the author from age 18 to his death. | Kamakura Period, ca. 1180–1241 | Reizei-ke Shiguretei Bunko, Kyoto and private collection | ||
| Letter of dismissal by Rigen Daishi | Rigen Daishi | Written by the priest and founder of Daigo-ji Rigen Daishi | Heian period, June 2, 907 | Daigo-ji, Kyoto | — | |
| List of Ritual Implements of Esoteric Buddhism and other objects brought back by the Priest Saichō | Saichō | An inventory of 66 items that Saichō brought back from China and stored at Hiezan in 805 | Heian period, July 17, 811 | Enryaku-ji, Ōtsu, Shiga | ||
| Epistle to Zhongfeng Mingben | Zhao Mengfu | Letters to the priest Zhongfeng Mingben in the style of Wang Xizhi expressing Zhao Mengfu's deep love and respect to Zhongfeng | Yuan Dynasty, 14th century | Seikadō Bunko Art Museum, Tokyo | ||
| Map of rice fields in Naruto, Imizu District, Toyama | — | Map of rice fields in Naruto, a former manor of Tōdai-ji. The map had been in the possession of Tōdai-ji. | Nara period, 759 | Nara National Museum, Nara, Nara | ||
| Mokkan excavated at the Heijō Palace ruins | — | Collection of 3184 wooden tablets discovered at the Heijō Palace site and used in government and economic affairs during the ritsuryō'' system. | Nara period | Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara, Nara | — |