The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto includes 17 locations in Japan, located in the city of Kyoto and nearby areas. In 794, the Japanese imperial family moved the capital to Heian-kyō. The sites are located in three cities: Kyoto and Uji in Kyoto Prefecture, and Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture. Uji is located to the south of Kyoto, and Ōtsu is located to the north. Of the monuments, 13 are Buddhist temples, 3 are Shinto shrines, and 1 is a castle. The properties include 38 buildings named by the Japanese government as National Treasures, 160 properties named as Important Cultural Properties, 8 gardens named as Special Places of Scenic Beauty, and 4 named as Places of Scenic Beauty. UNESCO added the site to the World Heritage list in 1994.

Selection criteria

Kyoto has many historic buildings, unlike other Japanese cities that lost many buildings due to foreign invasions and wars. It also has the most important cultural sites in Japan. Even though Kyoto was damaged by wars, fires, and earthquakes during its 11 centuries as the imperial capital, it avoided much of the destruction during World War II. Kyoto was not bombed like other large Japanese cities because it was chosen to be the main target for an atomic bomb. However, it was later removed from the list of targets by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, who wanted to protect Kyoto’s cultural heritage. He had visited Kyoto in 1926 and understood its importance. Because of this, Nagasaki was added to the list of atomic bomb targets instead.

The 17 sites in Kyoto’s World Heritage area were built between the 10th and 19th centuries. Each site shows what life was like during the time it was built. UNESCO chose Kyoto for its World Heritage status because of the area’s important history.

List of sites

The table shows details about each of the 17 sites included in the World Heritage Site list.