Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, UNESCO World Heritage Site group in Kyoto, Japan

The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto comprises 17 properties in Kyoto, Uji and Otsu: 13 Buddhist temples, three Shinto shrines and one castle, Nijō Castle. Together they hold 38 buildings designated National Treasures, 160 Important Cultural Properties and eight gardens named Special Places of Scenic Beauty. The set includes Kinkaku-ji, whose upper two storeys are covered in gold leaf above a dark timber ground floor, and Ryōan-ji with its stone garden.

In 794 the imperial court moved the capital to Heian-kyō, and the 17 properties date from the 10th to the 19th century. They comprise 13 Buddhist temples, three Shinto shrines and one castle, with 38 buildings designated National Treasures. Kyoto was spared from firebombing in World War II partly because Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson had visited in 1926 and intervened to remove it from the atomic bomb target list; Nagasaki was added instead.

The name Heian-kyō, meaning "Capital of Peace and Tranquility," was given when the capital moved there in 794. Among the 17 properties, 13 are Buddhist temples, three are Shinto shrines, and one is a castle. The temple names end in -ji, the shrines in -jinja, and the castle in -jo, a naming pattern a visitor can spot on entrance signs.

Most sites can be reached by subway and bus lines, and many temples lie close together in eastern and northern Kyoto. Visitors should allow at least one hour for each individual site and note that some areas open only during certain seasons.

The golden roof of Kinkaku-ji is actually covered with real gold leaf that is renewed at regular intervals. The Ryōan-ji temple features a rock garden where viewers cannot see all 15 stones at once from any single point.