Katori Shrine - National Treasures

National Treasures

Katori Shrine holds one National Treasure, the Kaijū Budō Kagami (海獣葡萄鏡?), a round cupronickel mirror with a diameter of 29.6 centimeters, and weight of 4.56 kilograms. Probably from Tang Dynasty China, the mirror is decorated with bas-relief flowers, insects and a variety of real and mythological animals. It is almost identical to a mirror held by the Shosoin Treasury in Nara. The mirror itself is preserved at the Nara National Museum.

Furthermore, the shrine also has a ceramic Koseto pair of komainu, standing 17.6 and 17.9 centimeters high. Dating from the Muromachi period, one of these statues was featured on a 250 Yen definitive stamp of Japan. The set of statues is designated as an Important Cultural Property.

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