Founded in the 7th century, Horyu-ji Temple in the Nara region is home to one of the oldest wooden structures in the world. Under imperial rule, Horyu-ji was established to spread Buddhism, which had just been introduced to Japan from China. We look at the Japanese social concept of wa or harmony and the survival of these buildings over the centuries.
Remote Okinoshima is the "island where the deities dwell" where Shinto beliefs originated. It is the spiritual home to the Japanese people. Restricted public access to the island means that valuable artifacts offered to the deities have been preserved almost intact. Ancient Japanese believed deities resided in the island's huge rocks; many of those beliefs survive among the locals to this day.
In the 19th century, when Japan emerged as a modern nation, the world's most advanced spinning technology brought raw silk into mass production. By 1909, Japan became the world's largest exporter of raw silk used in products worldwide. Now defunct, the property offers a glimpse of the development of modern Japan.
Once known as Michinooku or "the back country," the town of Hiraizumi in the Tohoku region was founded in the 12th century. Its temples were built over three generations by the Fujiwara clan in an attempt to recreate the Buddhist Pure Land, an ideal world free of defilement and suffering, exemplified by the Golden Hall at Chuson-ji Temple.