Cultural Property Counts in Kyoto City
Key points
Calligraphy and classical books are the largest field among the National Treasures (55), while historical documents stand out against the national total
The Lake Biwa Canal facilities became the first modern civil engineering structure to be a National Treasure (2025)
The Special Places of Scenic Beauty include the gardens of Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, and Nijō Castle
Kyoto Prefecture as a whole ranks first in Japan for both National Treasure and Important Cultural Property buildings
Share of Japan's total
Of Kyoto City's National Treasures, 44 are buildings (of 233 nationwide) and 173 are works of art and craft (of 916 nationwide). Of the 44 buildings, 42 belong to shrines and temples, and the remaining 2 are classified as "other."
Registered Tangible Cultural Properties are protected more loosely through a notification system. The city has 497 registered buildings and 2 registered works of art and craft.
Kyoto City's Share of Japan's Cultural Properties
- Special Places of Scenic Beauty
- National Treasures
- Important Cultural Properties (incl. National Treasures)
- Places of Scenic Beauty
- Special Historic Sites
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (buildings)
- Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- Important Cultural Landscapes
National Treasures by field
By field, historical documents stand out against the national picture: 26 of Japan's 63 are in Kyoto City.
Kyoto City's National Treasures by Field
- Calligraphy and classical books
- Buildings
- Paintings
- Sculpture
- Historical documents
- Craft objects
- Archaeological materials
- Historical materials
Special Places of Scenic Beauty and townscapes
Among Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments, those of particular importance receive the "Special" designation. The city has 12 Special Places of Scenic Beauty, exactly one third of the 36 nationwide: the gardens of Rokuon-ji (Kinkaku-ji), Jishō-ji (Ginkaku-ji), Tenryū-ji, Saihō-ji, the Hōjō garden of Ryōan-ji, the Hōjō garden of Daitoku-ji, the Shoin garden of Daisen-in, the Sanbō-in garden at Daigo-ji, the Ninomaru garden of Nijō Castle, the Daishoin garden of Hongan-ji, the Konchi-in garden, and the Seijo Falls (Seijo-no-taki) with Mount Goi at Hōkongō-in.
The city also has 3 Special Historic Sites, and counting the special ones, 58 Historic Sites, 52 Places of Scenic Beauty, and 7 Natural Monuments. As for townscapes, four areas are Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings: Sannenzaka and Gion Shinbashi (selected in 1976), Saga Toriimoto (1979), and Kamigamo (1988), and the "Cultural Landscape of Kyoto Okazaki" is an Important Cultural Landscape (selected in 2015).
Prefectural and city designations and registrations
Kyoto Prefecture counts 174 prefecturally designated and 11 prefecturally registered properties, and Kyoto City, under the Kyoto City Cultural Properties Protection Ordinance, has 398 city-designated and 152 city-registered properties. The city-designated and city-registered properties can be searched in a database that Kyoto City opened in April 2026.
Kyoto Prefecture as a whole has 81 National Treasure buildings counted as structures (of 303 nationwide) and 310 Important Cultural Property buildings (of 2,605 nationwide), the most in Japan in both.
Cultural Properties in Kyoto City and Nationwide (as of April 1, 2026)
| Category | In Kyoto City | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| National Treasures | 217 | 1,149 |
| Important Cultural Properties (incl. National Treasures) | 1,927 | 13,557 |
| Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (buildings and works of art) | 499 | 14,776 |
| Special Historic Sites, Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Natural Monuments | 15 | 177 |
| Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, Natural Monuments (incl. Special) | 117 (97 distinct sites) | 3,398 |
| Important Cultural Landscapes | 1 | 74 |
| Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings | 4 districts | 129 districts |
| Total cultural properties in the city (distinct items) | 3,327 | — |
Items vs. structures, recommendation vs. designation
National Treasure and Important Cultural Property buildings are counted as items (ken), and one item can include several structures (tō). The Lake Biwa Canal facilities are a single National Treasure item, yet they consist of five places: the First, Second, and Third Tunnels, the Incline, and the Suirokaku aqueduct at Nanzen-ji. The city's count of National Treasure buildings in items and the prefecture's count in structures use different units, so they cannot be compared directly.
After the Council for Cultural Affairs makes a recommendation to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the designation becomes official only when it is announced in the official gazette. The Lake Biwa Canal was recommended on May 16, 2025, and with the gazette notice of August 27 the same year it became the first modern civil engineering structure to be a National Treasure.
Recommendations in 2026
On March 26, 2026, the Council for Cultural Affairs recommended that the 47 scrolls of the "Five Hundred Arhats" (painted by Minchō) at Tōfuku-ji be designated a National Treasure, and that 94,192 items of the "Daigo-ji Documents and Sacred Texts" at Daigo-ji be consolidated and added as a National Treasure.
On October 16, 2026, a recommendation was made to designate the Hattō (Dharma hall) of Kennin-ji, whose ridgepole was raised in 1765, as an Important Cultural Property. On the same day, in the "lifestyle culture" field newly created in 2025 within Important Intangible Cultural Properties, Ikenobō Sen'ei, master of rikka flower arrangement, and Takahashi Eiichi, master of Kyoto kaiseki cuisine (both of Kyoto City), were recommended for recognition as holders, that is, as Living National Treasures. All of these become official designations or recognitions after the gazette notice.
Mini quiz for this entry
Roughly what percentage of Japan's Important Cultural Properties (including National Treasures) are in Kyoto City?
Of these categories of cultural properties in Kyoto City, which has the smallest share of the national total?
Sources and verification
Content checked: October 17, 2026
Updated: October 17, 2026
References are in Japanese.
- 京都市文化財保護課「京都市内の文化財件数」
- 京都市文化財保護課「京都市内文化財件数（令和8年4月1日現在）」
- 京都府「京都府の1番」
- 文化庁「文化財指定等の件数」
- 文化庁「重要伝統的建造物群保存地区一覧」
- 京都市文化財保護課「京都岡崎の文化的景観」
- 京都市「京都の庭園文化」
- 京都市文化財保護課「京都市指定・登録文化財データベースの開設」
- 京都市文化財保護課・上下水道局「琵琶湖疏水施設 国宝・重要文化財への指定について」
- 滋賀県「国宝・重要文化財（建造物）の新指定について」
- 文化庁「文化審議会の答申（国宝・重要文化財（美術工芸品）の指定等）」（令和8年3月26日）
- 文化庁「文化審議会の答申（重要文化財（建造物）の指定）」（令和8年10月16日）
- 文化庁「文化審議会の答申（重要無形文化財の指定及び保持者の認定）」（令和8年10月16日）