The museum of the Mohri Principal Residence contains four National Treasures, the highest of all classifications for Japanese cultural artifacts.
Landscape of the Four Seasons (Shikisansuizu) is the work of the celebrated ink painter Sesshu Toyo (1420–1506). From right to left, the 16-meter-long scroll shows spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The different seasons can be identified through specific visual cues: plum blossoms for spring, seaside scenes for summer, village festivals for autumn, and snow for winter.
Dating from the late Kamakura period (1185–1333), the koshigatana is a short sword 26.5 centimeters in length that a samurai would wear pushed directly into their belt as a backup weapon to their long sword. Although there is no inscription, the workmanship suggests that the sword was made in Taima near Nara.
The Collection of Waka Poems from Past to Present (Kokin Wakashu) is believed to date from the middle of the eleventh century in the Heian period (794–1185). Just three of the original twenty scrolls survive in full, and this is the eighth in the series. Written in a graceful, flowing hand and decorated with specks of gold dust and mica, it is a masterpiece of the kana script.
Shikiryokohongi Daikyu is a history of China. This copy was made in 1073. What makes this example special is the fact that it was copied and annotated by Oe no Iekuni, an ancestor of the Mohri family.