Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, iv, vi
Reference	870
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1998 (22nd Session)

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara encompasses eight places in the old capital Nara in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Five are Buddhist temples, one is a Shinto shrine, one is a Palace and one a primeval forest. The properties include 26 buildings designated by the Japanese Government as National Treasures as well as 53 designated as Important Cultural Properties. All compounds have been recognized as Historic Sites. The Nara Palace Site was designated as Special Historic Site and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest as Special Natural Monument. Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest overlap with Nara Park, a park designated as one of the "Places of Scenic Beauty" by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). UNESCO listed the site as World Heritage in 1998.^[1][2]

List of places

Name	Type	Position	Picture
Tōdai-ji (東大寺 Tōdai-ji, Eastern Great Temple)	Kegon Buddhist temple	Zōshichō, Suimonchō, etc. 34°41′21″N 135°50′23″E / 34.68917°N 135.83972°E
Kōfuku-ji (興福寺 Kōfuku-ji)	Hossō Buddhist temple	Noboriōjichō, Takabatakechō 34°41′N 135°50′E / 34.683°N 135.833°E
Kasuga Shrine (春日大社 Kasuga-taisha)	Shinto shrine	Kasuganochō 34°40′53″N 135°50′54″E / 34.68139°N 135.84833°E
Gangō-ji (元興寺)	Shingon-Ritsu Buddhist temple	Chūinchō, Nakanochinyachō, etc. 34°40′41″N 135°49′52″E / 34.67806°N 135.83111°E
Yakushi-ji (薬師寺)	Hossō Buddhist temple	Nishinokyōchō 34°40′6.08″N 135°47′3.52″E / 34.6683556°N 135.7843111°E
Tōshōdai-ji (唐招提寺)	Ritsu Buddhist temple	Gojōchō, Amagatsujiminamichō 34°40′32.11″N 135°47′5.40″E / 34.6755861°N 135.7848333°E
Nara Palace Site －　Heijō Palace (平城宮 Heijō-kyū)	Imperial Palace	Sakichō, Hokkejichō, etc. 34°41′28″N 135°47′44″E / 34.69111°N 135.79556°E
Kasugayama Primeval Forest (春日山原始林 Kasugayamagenshirin)	primeval forest	Kasuganochō, Zōshichō, etc. 34°40′59.75″N 135°51′39.33″E / 34.6832639°N 135.8609250°E

See also

• List of World Heritage Sites in Japan
• Tourism in Japan

References

1. ICOMOS (30 June 1997). "Advisory Body Evaluation" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-04-24.
2. Agency for Cultural Affairs (1997). "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara — World Heritage List Nomination Cultural Property". Retrieved 2009-04-24.