Hiraizumi and Chūson-ji

Completed in 1124, the Konjiki-dō is an eleven-metre-square pavilion whose every surface, columns, altars and ceiling, is lacquered then gilded and inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ivory. It holds the mummies of the four Northern Fujiwara lords. Sheltered since the thirteenth century inside a protective building, it has survived eight centuries without rebuilding, making it one of the few Heian-period interiors still visible. Hiraizumi has been a World Heritage site since 2011.